Mechanised car park planned in Colaba, behind Taj

Sources in MPA said, the building standing on the plot will be pulled down to construct the car park. The building was taken over by Indian Hotels Company Limited, of which the Taj hotels are a subsidiary, in 2018. “It is a rundown place and we are told at one time it used to be servants quarters

MUMBAI: Speaker of legislative assembly, Rahul Narwekar, convened a meeting with the chairperson of Mumbai Port Authority (MPA) Rajiv Jalota on Monday, to address the issue of the lack of parking space in Colaba. In the course of the meeting, it was discussed that a car park be planned on a plot owned by MPA and occupied by the Taj Mahal Palace.

Mumbai...5th February 2011... Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai - Photo by Kalpak Pathak (Hindustan Times)

“Citizens of Colaba and those visiting this part of south Mumbai face severe problems in parking their vehicles. The Indian Hotels that owns Taj has a plot of 2000 sq metres leased by MPA. A mechanised multi-storey car park can be developed here with a facility to hold 300 to 500 cars. This can be used by both the hotel and other residents,” said Narwekar.

One of the country’s largest luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace has for long faced paucity of parking space – while the old hotel has just one parking lot, the new tower has 26.

Sources in MPA said, the building standing on the plot will be pulled down to construct the car park. The building was taken over by Indian Hotels Company Limited, of which the Taj hotels are a subsidiary, in 2018. “It is a rundown place and we are told at one time it used to be servants quarters. There is no official proposal yet. We will seek details and study the proposal carefully to stay legally sound,” the officer said. The MPA owns many properties in Colaba, which were leased to various people since the British Raj.

After the 26/11 attacks, parking along the hotel’s front was forbidden. Due to this shortcoming, those visiting the hotel have had to look for parking elsewhere. Some even park near the Institute of Science.

Narwekar had also called officers from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the meeting. The civic body is constructing three mechanised parking lots in Colaba. The speaker also tweeted about Tuesday’s discussion.

The spokesperson for Taj as well as Jalota refused to comment on the issue.