BJP, opposition corporators parking mad at BMC over new policy

With the ever-increasing parking and traffic menace in the city, BMC had planned on introducing a new policy against illegal parking

After SoBo residents, political parties in the BMC are at odds over the recently-implemented parking policy, under which fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 23,000 are being levied on illegally parked vehicles. While the Shiv Sena says the fine amount was approved after a meeting with group leaders of all parties, the opposition claims the decision was taken without discussing it with the general body, which includes all the corporators. Sena's ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the decision was taken in haste.

With the ever-increasing parking and traffic menace in the city, BMC had planned on introducing a new policy against illegal parking, which the civic body began implementing from Sunday. On July 8, mid-day reported in, 'SoBo residents protest BMC's new 'fine' tuned no parking charges,' about how locals were not taking kindly to the hefty fines under it.

Turns out, neither are several corporators, since this policy was not discussed with the general body. Rais Shaikh, group leader in BMC of the Samajwadi Party said, "There was no approval in the group leader meeting. If there is action in my ward [under the new policy] I will oppose it."

Supporting the stand of the administration, Shiv Sena standing committee chairman, Yashwant Jadhav, said, "We had approved the decision on the condition that it is implemented from a minimum of 50-100 metres to a maximum of 500 metres. We need a report to know within how many meters this action was taken, as all the group leaders have disapproved of the decision." 

'Taken in haste'

Rakhi Jadhav, corporator from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said, "We were going to get the policy approved in the general body but BMC began implementing before that could be done, which is wrong."

Manoj Kotak, MP and corporator from BJP, said, "The decision to implement this policy was taken in haste. Before conducting such a big exercise, various stakeholders of the city should have been taken into confidence. The administration is charging citizens but what about the hawkers that are still present on the roads?"

BMC says

A senior civic official from BMC's roads and traffic department said, "We had already intimated the group leaders, when they agreed to the proposal. They had asked us to do it in a radius of 500 metres instead of one kilometre, we have adhered to their suggestions."

Even as the elected representatives remain unhappy with the decision, the policy is being implemented in full force.

On Sunday, BMC collected Rs 1,80,000 in fines from 63 illegally parked vehicles, followed by Rs 1,70,340 from 80 vehicles on Monday, bringing the combined total so far to Rs 3,50,340.

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