The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to move forward with the construction of a multilevel automated underground car parking system on the northside of Bal Gandharva Rangmandir in Patwardhan Park, Bandra (West), despite strong opposition from the locals.
The civic body stated that it will modify the original design and tender based on suggestions and objections submitted by the residents this month.
The number of cars that can be parked will be reduced to 190 from 228, and a two-level basement will be constructed instead of the original three levels.
Locals objected to the tender citing Development Control and Promotion Regulations-53 (DCPR), which only permits underground construction and a 10-metre wide area for ingress and egress. The BMC has argued that DCPR provisions take precedence over Town Planning Scheme (TPS) laws in case of a dispute.
Moreover, there are around 200 empty parking spaces within a 100-metre radius and another 400 places within a 200-metre radius. Responding to this, the civic representative mentioned that these are private parking spaces at malls and cannot be ordered for general public use.
P. Velrasu, auxiliary municipal commissioner (projects), said that all issues will be analysed on merit before deciding the fate of the proposal. City BJP Chief and MLA Ashish Shelar, who first proposed the idea in 2018, said that both viewpoints will be heard and the decision will be made in the best interest of the constituency.
As a part of the modified design proposal, the playground will be preserved and exposed to the sky, and a three-metre Miyawaki plantation will be established around the playground in place of the five trees that will be removed.
The Tree Authority approval will be sought once the work starts, and trees will be planted according to a government order dated July 5, 2021.
Share
Tweet
