MUMBAI: Bombay high court on Thursday lamented the absence of a policy for parking vehicles and cautioned that it will be a chaotic situation in future.
“Don’t create a chaotic situation in future. There has to be a reduction in cars unless there is guaranteed parking. There has to be a policy,” said a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni.
The bench’s comments came while hearing a PIL by Sandeep Thakur for providing adequate parking space in development control regulations (DCR). Thakur said a state-appointed committee had recommended stricter parking norms to be included in the DCR of Navi Mumbai, but the government, while applying uniformed DCR for Mumbai metropolitan region, drastically reduced it for Navi Mumbai.
The judges said new planned cities must not become like Mumbai, where there are cars everywhere and no place to walk. “Forty percent roads are taken for parking on both sides,’’ said Justice Kulkarni. He cited the example of the road at the signal leading to Cooperage and Mantralaya that was concretised. “We pass everyday from there. After 3-4 months the work was completed. For what? For parking cars,’’ he added.
The judges said crores are spent on concretising roads and its utility is for car parking. Justice Kulkarni referred to parking woes at Crawford Market, saying “there is no place for citizens to walk in the bylanes’’. Justice Kulkarni said, “If we don’t control it now, it will be a difficult path to be left for the future.’’
The judges also wondered what became of the state’s policy to register new vehicles only after showing proof of parking space. They said people cannot be allowed to purchase cars without parking space.“You can permit cars provided there is parking available,” said Justice Kulkarni.
The judges asked Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s advocate Sandeep Marne if it has a policy not to allow parking on roads. “At least we thought Navi Mumbai would be sensible,’’ said Justice Kulkarni. Marne said in redevelopment the FSI goes up to 4 and will provide more parking spaces. The judges said NMMC should permit 3-4 level basement parking.
Justice Kulkarni said, ‘Pune is permitting 3-level basement parking in a building of 14 storeys. Why can’t you?’’
The matter was adjourned after the state’s advocate sought time to reply.
