Mumbai: No hike in parking charges this year; BMC won’t revise rates

The BMC has tasked the Mumbai Parking Authority to study policies in use in other cities in India and abroad. File pics

Mumbaikars will not be burdened with more parking charges this year as the civic body has decided not to revise the existing rates. While the BMC's traffic department is yet to come up with a new policy, the move is a fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and the upcoming civic polls, said sources.

In 2019, the BMC had formed a Mumbai Parking Authority, a first-of-its-kind body, to regulate parking in the metropolis. However, it is yet to become fully operational. Any revision in rates will be affected after the approval of the parking authority, which can happen only next year, said officials. The existing parking policy expires on March 31.

The civic body has divided the city into three major parking zones - A, B and C. While it collects '60 an hour for a car in Fort and Colaba, the charge is '45 for 60 minutes at Govandi. For better parking management, it has tasked the parking authority, which comprises experts, with studying policies followed by other cities in India and abroad.

"We will be retaining the same policy for this year as we do not want the citizens to face the burden of any increased charges. We are also in the process of drafting a new policy where the idea is to have variable charges and it will be the call of the experts in MPA [parking authority] and the committee entrusted with finalising the policy and the rates," said a BMC official.

The official added, "We will take measures to ensure that the policy doesn't face the wrath of the public like the current policy and is well accepted. The current policy was mired in controversy for over three years and was not even put to use owing to this." However, sources said this being an election year, nobody wants to raise the rates.

03
No. of major parking zones in the city

Rs 60
Parking rate per hour for cars in Fort, Colaba