Mumbai to get 35 new pay-and-park lots before end of year

This is the second time that the civic body has floated bids for maintenance of these parking lots, after the first time in July

After a failed attempt to find bidders for the maintenance of 35 pay-and-park lots across Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation (BMC) has refloated the tenders for these lots. The civic body expects to launch these lots by the end of the year.

The lots will collectively have the capacity to park 3,466 four-wheeler vehicles, 1,606 two-wheeler vehicles and 153 heavy vehicles. (Hindustan Times)

The last time, BMC had invited tenders for 55 pay-and-park lots, of which 20 had bagged contractors while 35 lots went unclaimed.

These upcoming parking lots are spread across A ward, including areas around Regal cinema, Eros Cinema, Free Press Journal Road, LIC Road, Mumbai Samachar Road, Ballard Estate in south Mumbai; in Tardeo, Dadar and Prabhadevi in central Mumbai; and in Bandra, Andheri, and the Ghatkopar Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR) in the suburbs.

The lots will collectively have the capacity to park 3,466 four-wheeler vehicles, 1,606 two-wheeler vehicles and 153 heavy vehicles.

The parking lots were divided for awarding the contract. Maintenance of some of the lots were initially reserved for women’s self-help groups and unemployed youth, but this received poor responses. Contracts for all lots are now open to all bidders.

A senior civic official of the traffic and roads department, who is in charge of the bidding process, said,”This is not the first time that we have seen a lack of interest in bids.There were 88 street parking lots in total. Last time, we had to float tenders for 55 of those, but only 20 received responses. We had to float tenders for the remaining 35 again.”

According to BMC’s pay-and-park policy, the city has been divided into three zones - A, B, and C, zone - based on the footfall and vehicular traffic in the areas. These 35 parking lots fall in all three categories, based on the area and available parking space.