CIDCO parking under High Tension Line under the scanner

CIDCO's parking arrangement on a plot under a high tension line in Navi Mumbai is under scrutiny after it was revealed that there is no approval for the arrangement. Activists have raised safety concerns, but CIDCO and NMMC are shirking responsibility.

Navi Mumbai: CIDCO’s parking provision made on a vacant plot falling under the High Tension (HT) line adjacent to its headquarters in Belapur has come under the scanner after a RTI query revealed that Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has no records of approval for the parking arrangement.

A file photo of parking beneath high tension line at CIDCO bhavan at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, India, on Friday, March 3, 2023. (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)

Activists have been voicing safety concerns of operating a full-fledged parking facility beneath the transmission line for over four months.

The RTI was filed by Vashi based social activist and former president of Aam Admi Party (AAP) Shyambhau Kadam in August 2023. “There is a 220 KV transmission line passing over the plot which CIDCO has been using as their parking space for many years. Since NMMC is the local governing authority No objection certificate (NOC) is needed for utilising any plot, but there are no records either ,” said Kadam.

The matter was earlier raised by another Belapur based activist Sudhir Dhani in June. “There was no response received either to the mail or the RTI addressed to the CIDCO MD. As per Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) norms, nearly 15 meters beneath HTL should be kept vacant instead there are vehicles parked right beneath the line, which raises safety concerns,” said Dhani.

Activists questioned the planning body’s lack of foresight to arrange for adequate parking provisions within its own building. The organisation is further said to be shirking its responsibility by not providing clarity in the matter. “Navi Mumbai is supposed to have been developed by CIDCO. Surprisingly the planners failed to make adequate provision for their own parking purposes. In the event of any one getting electrocuted, will CIDCO take responsibility?” questioned Kadam.

NMMC in November has addressed a letter to CIDCO to take appropriate measures as the corporation has no records of the parking lot. Similarly on Monday, a hearing was conducted by CIDCO’s Engineering department. “ None of the government bodies want to take responsibility even as the illegal occupation of the plot continues. NMMC has merely passed the buck by asking CIDCO to do the needful and as per the series of hearings conducted by CIDCO, there is no clarity on which department should handle the matter, even though the original complaint was addressed to the Managing Director,” said Dhani.

CIDCO Public Relations Officer (PRO) remained unavailable for comment.