BMC to go ahead with tweaked Patwardhan Park parking lot plan

Despite stiff opposition from locals, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to go ahead with the multilevel mechanised underground car parking system on the northside of Bal Gandharva Rangmandir at Patwardhan Park in Bandra west

Mumbai: Despite stiff opposition from locals, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to go ahead with the multilevel mechanised underground car parking system on the northside of Bal Gandharva Rangmandir at Patwardhan Park in Bandra west. However, the civic body will tweak the design and tender based on suggestions and objections submitted by the residents this month.

The changed plan will have two parking levels. (HT Photo)

The new design plan will reduce the number of vehicles from 228 to 190. It will be a basement with a two-level parking lot instead of the earlier three levels below the park.

Citizens in their meeting with the traffic department this month had objected to the tender, stating that the proposal was contrary to the provisions of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations-53 (DCPR) that allows only underground construction and only an area of 10-metre width along the road for ingress and egress to the underground areas.

“We have reduced the number of vehicles from 228 to 190 and instead of a three-level basement, a two-level basement is now being planned, as per DCPR 53. A corrigendum on the changes in the design will be uploaded on the BMC website,” a civic official told Hindustan Times. “Tenders will be invited after the changes are made. Already design changes are under process and work is going on,” he added.

The locals had pointed out that the plot comes under the Town Planning Scheme (TPS) and the building regulations do not allow a parking lot below parks. However, the BMC stated that as per the DCPR 2034 rules, if there is a conflict between DCPR rules and TPS regulations, the provision of DCPR shall prevail.

The residents also stressed that the BMC should see their own 2018 tender for the park, which had stated that no development could be carried out in a park without prior high court permission. The civic body clarified that the above-mentioned plot is an open ground adjacent to and part of the park where five trees will be felled.

It was also contended that no development can be carried out without prior approval of the Tree Authority as per orders of the HC, which were not taken. But the civic body clarified that the Tree Authority approval will be obtained after they commence the work and according to the government resolution dated July 5,2021, trees will be planted.

The citizens had further objected, stating that the BMC could not destroy a park when around 200 vacant parking spots are available within the 100-metre radius and another 400 unused car parking spaces were present within the 200-metre radius.

“These are private parking spaces in malls and cannot be utilised by the general public, who will not visit those malls. Let me cite an example. If Four Seasons in Worli has 100 unused parking spaces, we cannot tell the general public to go and use those spaces. It is an absurd suggestion,” the BMC official added.

When P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), was queried whether this proposal will be scrapped in future, he said, “We will consider all points on merit and then decide. Overall benefit to society will be the deciding factor.”

City BJP chief and MLA Ashish Shelar, who had mooted this proposal based on citizens’ request in 2018, said, “There are two groups—one is proposing and another is opposing this proposal. We will listen to both sides. We will do whatever is in the interest of the constituency.”