Car parking charges in Mumbai set to triple from March

11 February 2017

Car owners wanting to park their cars in parking lots allotted by the civic authority in Mumbai will have to pay three times the current charges once the code of conduct for elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is lifted in March.

After a two-year stay on parking charges, the state government approved a new policy on parking just a week before the code of conduct kicked in on 11 January.

Once the elections are over and the code of conduct for the elections is lifted in March, citizens will have to pay up to 200 per cent more for parking in civic parking lots while the charges will be even more if they park on roads.

The policy also includes a residential permit scheme, for which island city residents will have to cough up Rs1,800 a month for parking on roads.

The urban development department, led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, had suspended the pay-and-park scheme for two years and had announced a public hearing, following protests by citizens led by BJP legislators.

While transport planners have welcomed the move as much wanted, the policy could face opposition from car owners and automobile firms as it would adversely affect both car sales and car use.

While vehicle numbers have gone up by leaps and bounds, the city has not cared to improve infrastructure, including parking space for the rising number of vehicles.

However, citizen groups have expressed displeasure.

The parking policy was approved by the state two months ago while a decision about its implementation will have to be taken by the BMC.