Mumbai: With the parking situation in Maharashtra’s major cities worsening day by day, the state government is planning to introduce an Integrated Parking Policy to tackle growing issues caused by unauthorized parking and resultant traffic congestion. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced that the policy will first be implemented in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) area.
The minister was speaking at a meeting convened with municipal commissioners from the MMRDA region to discuss the proposed policy. The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Sanjay Sethi, Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, and various commissioners from the MMRDA region.
Minister Sarnaik emphasized the need for municipal input before implementing the policy to ensure it addresses ground-level challenges effectively. “Municipal areas where this problem has become critical must provide suggestions and feedback, which will be carefully considered while drafting the policy,” he said.
He added that vehicle owners who do not have personal parking spaces should be provided parking solutions by their respective local self-governments. Therefore, developing dedicated parking areas within municipal limits has become the need of the hour.
Highlighting the urgency of the issue, Sarnaik said that the Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, has suggested that the policy be first implemented in the MMRDA region. This meeting was held in line with that recommendation.
Suggestions and feedback from officers regarding the challenges created by parking issues and possible solutions will be incorporated into the upcoming policy, Sarnaik confirmed.
The minister also urged all municipal corporations to design urban layouts in a way that allows parking facilities beneath gardens and playgrounds, citing the example of Thane Municipal Corporation, which has successfully implemented an underground parking facility.
To address illegal on-street parking, Sarnaik called for effective enforcement with the help of the police and motor transport department. He also directed that long-abandoned vehicles occupying roads should be towed away immediately to free up space.
Further, he recommended that parking plazas be constructed on lands reserved for development and public amenities. He cited the parking plaza policy of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as a model that other municipal corporations should adopt to ease future parking issues in urban areas.
