Mumbai: Show us the parking plan, ask Bandra-Khar residents to BMC

Patwardhan Park at Khar West. File Pic/Shadab Khan

Along with Juhu residents and activists, Bandra and Khar residents are also not very supportive of the BMC's idea to have parking lots underneath parks. Most people agree there is a need for parking lots, but not at the cost of gardens. They also have objections to the plan for allocating a space for hawkers in the lots. Hence they want to see the plans the civic body has for these underground parking lots.

After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared its plan of constructing parking lots under two open spaces in the city - Pushpa Narsee Park at JVPD and Patwardhan Park at Khar west - Juhu residents started a movement against it. Residents of Juhu and activists with the help of arboriculturists did a survey of the tree cover in Pushpa Narsee Park and even wrote a letter to the civic chief. They started an online petition against the parking lot, which has been signed by over 3,500 people.

Locals upset with BMC

However, Bandra and Khar residents haven't yet submitted strong objections as many are unaware of the steps taken by the BMC. As per the earlier plan, there will be space for parking as well as hawkers. Jagjit Arora, a Bandra resident, said, "I need to see the plan first. Parking is required and there has to be a practical approach. There are a few parking spaces but they are small and meant for two wheelers. The issue of four wheelers is still not solved. We can take a call whether the lot should be underneath a garden or any other public place," said Arora.

Locals don't want Patwardhan Park to be harmed due to the underground parking lot. File Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Prakash Jaykar, who is a regular visitor to Patwardhan Park said, "Three years ago, part of the park was taken away to widen the adjacent road to decongest the traffic. The hawkers encroached that part and the road width remained as it was. Now also construction under the park will only create more space for hawkers and nothing else. Last time, we had lots of meetings to raise our voices. If the BMC is going to revive the plan, then we will object to it."

Rajubhai Ramaiya who visits the park every day said, "This is the only green patch available here. There are multiple parking lots in the area which are unused and constructing another one without a proper study makes no sense. Show us the plan for the lot."

Also read: Mumbai: ‘Parking under park' a win-win deal, say MLAs

‘Why space for hawkers?'

In one of the civic groups of Khar and Santacruz residents on social media, moderated by Deyasini Choudhari, an architect and trustee of H West Ward Federation, out of 129 participants, 76 per cent voted for underground parking allowed in a garden, while 24 per cent were against it. Residents are of the opinion that the plan has to be implemented fast to get rid of problems related to haphazard street parking and traffic woes. At the same time, 84 per cent participants don't want hawkers' space underground.

"There were two polls carried out for Patwardhan Park. While three fourth of the residents are okay with underground parking under a garden, most of them are strongly against giving space to hawkers. The obvious reason is we will have hawkers in an underground lot and there will be more of them on the surface as well," said Choudhari. She added that Churchgate and CSMT plazas are good because there is a huge footfall of passengers. People will never enter an isolated underground market and buy from roadside vendors only for ‘convenience', she added.

Aditi Kane, an activist said, "People need a parking lot but maybe they are unaware of the consequences of construction of a lot under an open space which has full grown trees. There has to be a balance between green and greys in urban areas as it is directly affecting our overall well-being. After construction of a parking lot the space above will be turned into merely a terrace garden."

The issue of parking lots resurfaced after Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velarasu visited Raosaheb Patwardhan Park at Bandra West and Pushpa Narsee Park at JVPD Scheme in Juhu on February 2. In a press note issued by the BMC, it was mentioned that local MLAs demanded that parking lots be built beneath these gardens. In its 2023-24 budget, the BMC had proposed the setting up of robotic parking at three places including Raosaheb Patwardhan Park.