State govt to conduct feasibility study for underground parking malls, water taxis, ropeways

Government agencies such as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) have been asked to conduct the feasibility studies and submit detailed project reports in the next two to three months

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government plans to conduct a detailed study regarding the feasibility of three ambitious infrastructure projects for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR): so-called parking malls under metro stations, waterways, and ropeways (cable cars).

Mumbai, India - October 25, 2019: MLA Pratap Sarnaik at Matoshree to meet Udhav Thackeray Chief of shiva Sena party at Bandra in Mumbai, India, on Friday, October 25, 2019. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times) (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

Government agencies such as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) have been asked to conduct the feasibility studies and submit detailed project reports in the next two to three months, according to state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik. The plans were discussed at a meeting on Wednesday attended by officials from the state transport department, the urban development department, and the Maharashtra Maritime Board, among other agencies.

Parking malls

Mumbai, which has become synonymous with dug-up roads in recent years, could see even more of the same if the state government’s plan to construct underground parking lots comes to fruition. These so-called parking malls would be built under busy metro rail stations to solve the perennial issue of a lack of parking space in the city. The parking malls would also have commercial and office spaces above ground, said Sarnaik.

“Inadequate parking spaces is already a big issue for Mumbai. I have asked to utilise the space beneath the metro stations rather than having multi-tier parking lots. Motorists can simply park their vehicles at these parking malls and board the metro trains,” said Sarnaik.

As of December 2024, there are nearly 13 million vehicles in MMR, including 5 million in Mumbai, 5.7 million in Thane and 2.1 million in Panvel.

While this might seem like a good idea for a city dealing with a severe space crunch, it has come a little too late, according to Jagdeep Desai, a transport analyst and founder of the Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai Suburbs. “It should have been planned along with the original [metro lines] plan itself. Moreover, the government should consider other methods of public parking, be it ramps, lifts or stack parking”.

Water taxis

The authorities are also looking to develop additional modes of transportation in MMR, like water taxis. This isn’t the first time the idea of having water transportation in Mumbai has been toyed with. There was once a grand plan to connect Navi Mumbai with Nariman Point with catamarans, which eventually failed.

“The city and its metropolitan region, right up to Alibag and Virar, is surrounded by water,” said Sarnaik. “There is ample scope for this mode of transportation and not just depend on trains and metro rails. I have asked the urban development department to ask the MMRDA to conduct a feasibility study and submit a detailed project report for water taxis. I do not know what happened in the past and why it did not work. My idea is to develop a holistic water transport network for the city.”

State government officials said that while the transport department can operate these water taxis, the MMRDA can help with the construction of necessary infrastructure, while the maritime board can prepare the detailed project report.

Ropeways

Another previously mooted idea making a comeback is a ropeway project, called Parvatmala Project, for which a comprehensive survey will be conducted shortly.

In 2019, MMRDA had proposed two ropeways: a 3.6-km-long Charkop-Marve corridor, at a cost of ₹383 crore, and a 7.2-km-long Mahavir Nagar-Gorai (Pagoda) corridor, costing ₹575 crore. Despite inviting tenders, the project never took off.

However, the state government hasn’t given up and is planning to look for areas where building ropeways would be possible. It might not include areas where residential buildings are likely to undergo redevelopment and be replaced by high-rises.

Sarnaik also spoke about the proposed pod-taxi service in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, saying the plan will now be expedited. This service, spanning 8.8 km from Bandra East to Kurla, will have 38 stations, with a stop every 15 seconds. Sarnaik said he has sought a detailed project plan to be presented in the next two to three months, as he does not want this project to be the next Monorail, which has failed to attract enough passengers.