HC asks state if parking under flyovers can be allowed again

Considering how little space there is for citizens to park their vehicles, the Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the state to clarify if it was possible to “utilise the space under flyovers for parking vehicles”.

A bench led by justice VM Kanade asked the state is it was possible to reduce the “security concerns” that had led the HC to prohibit illegal parking under flyovers in February this year. “Unauthorised parking due to lack of space is a very serious problem in Mumbai and is the cause of much traffic congestion. We are told around 1,000 new vehicles get registered by the RTO every day. Besides, a large number of private vehicles enter the city every morning and leave in the evenings, but these have no space for parking through the day,” the bench said.

“The state should evolve a system to ensure checks and detection at entry points for all vehicles. Vehicles being parked under flyovers can also be checked,” the bench said.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation highlighting the lack of adequate designated parking space in the city. The petitioners had asked for the ban on parking under flyovers to be lifted so the idle space can be used and some respite from traffic congestion is achieved. They also submitted a list of 27 flyovers for this.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), however, opposed the proposal saying it stopped allowing parking under the flyovers after assessing a security threat . The HC’s February order was based on these security concerns, the BMC counsel told the court.

The bench dismissed the argument saying in current times, “nothing was immune to security threats,” and the state government must take steps to assuage these threats.

The court is likely to take up the matter for further hearing on September 27 this year.