Patwardhan park parking row: Khar residents face an uphill battle for park

While BMC refused to reveal info about parking spaces, here is a receipt for a parking space on 26th Road near Patwardhan Park

The Khar-Bandra residents' battle to save part of Patwardhan Park, is getting more difficult, after the BMC and traffic police refused to give them information on the official parking spaces available in its vicinity. The residents are now waiting for a reply from Worli traffic division but don't expect a positive response.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials visited Patwardhan Park in February and floated a tender for underground parking in one part of the park in the first week of March. Residents and activists have been opposing it since then, citing destruction of open space for private vehicles and that the underground parking lot will be constructed even above the ground leaving no space for children to play. Besides, full grown trees in the area will be cut for the lot.

A BMC personnel appointed to give receipts for parking spaces at Linking Road

‘Not giving us information'

"There are ample road side parking as well as visitors parking spaces developed by commercial establishments which are sanctioned and licensed by the BMC in the vicinity of Linking Road. We visited 10 such plots and counted approximately 500 car parking spaces in and around the 150 metres radius around the park. At least 80 per cent of these parking plots are now accessible for visitors to park their vehicles. Besides, the civic body runs off-site parking on roads," said Zoru Bhathena, an activist. He added, "We requested the deputy chief engineer traffic of the BMC for information on car parking capacity of roads in the immediate vicinity of the Patwardhan Park like Linking Road, 4th Road, 5th Road, 33rd Road, 26th Road and 32nd Road which are nearby. But the office isn't giving us any information."

Also Read: Patwardhan Park issue: Tender submission deadline extended again

A BMC personnel collecting charges for parking near Patwardhan Park

The reply from BMC on April 28 said that the information sought by the applicants falls in the purview of the assistant commissioner of Police (traffic) whose office is at Traffic Police headquarters, Worli. Hence the referred RTI is being forwarded to the office for necessary information.

"This is the same road and traffic department which floated the tender for construction of a parking lot at the park claiming a shortage of parking on these same roads. Even the site visit report of the BMC said there are 276 four wheeler parking and 182 two wheeler parking spaces available in a 500 metres periphery. How did they count the parking space then? Or was it just an eyewash?" said Bhathena. In a recent reply from the traffic police headquarters, it has written to the Public information office of Central West Region, traffic asking them to reply to the application.

Residents and activists have been opposing the underground parking on part of plot since BMC put forth the idea. File pic

‘We know the reply'

"No prizes for guessing what reply we will receive from the central west division," said a resident from Bandra. The residents also filed a PIL in the HC and the hearing will be in June after the summer vacation.

April 26
Day PIL was filed against BMC plan