logo
After public opposition, BMC scraps elevated car parking proposal at Matunga Station

After public opposition, BMC scraps elevated car parking proposal at Matunga Station

Hindustan Times22-05-2025

MUMBAI: The BMC has officially scrapped a controversial proposal to construct an Elevated Multilevel Electro Car Parking facility outside Matunga railway station. The decision, taken on May 5, came after sustained public opposition and a thorough evaluation of logistical and traffic concerns.
A critical meeting to deliberate on the project was held on January 9, 2025, chaired by additional municipal commissioner (City) Ashwini Joshi. Attendees included key officials from the municipal corporation, such as the deputy municipal commissioners for Zone II and Infrastructure, the chief engineer of the Development Plan and representatives from the traffic department and F North ward. The minutes of the meeting were later disclosed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2025.
The project had reached an advanced stage, with the traffic department having floated a tender and appointed a contractor. The department also secured a No Objection Certificate from the railway authorities, as the proposed site falls within a railway buffer zone.
Despite these approvals, several technical and civic issues were flagged during the meeting. The chief engineer (Development Plan) clarified that the land in question was not originally reserved for public parking under the 1991 Strategic Regional Development Plan though it had been used informally for parking and housed a police chowky. Under the Development Plan 2034, the land is now designated for both parking and police use.
A major concern was the potential traffic disruption. Lakhamshi Napoo Road, the proposed site for the facility, is a vital access route to Matunga Central railway station. Officials feared that the construction and operation of a multilevel parking structure could severely obstruct the movement of railway commuters, especially during peak hours, causing congestion and chaos at the station's entry and exit points.
Public opposition played a decisive role in the project's cancellation. G R Vora from the Petition Group Foundation lodged a formal complaint on November 20, 2024, addressed to multiple authorities, voicing strong objections to the proposed facility. Subsequently, on November 29, the deputy municipal commissioner (Zone II) along with ward and traffic staff conducted a site inspection.
Taking into account all technical evaluations, public feedback and potential disruptions, the committee reached a unanimous decision to terminate the project. With the cancellation, the BMC has indicated a willingness to prioritise community feedback and urban functionality over automated infrastructure development, at least in sensitive and high-traffic zones like railway station precincts.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

10% Maratha reservation to continue this year, hearing on fresh pleas from July 18
10% Maratha reservation to continue this year, hearing on fresh pleas from July 18

India Today

timean hour ago

  • India Today

10% Maratha reservation to continue this year, hearing on fresh pleas from July 18

The Maratha reservation issue will once again come under judicial scrutiny, with a newly constituted full bench of the Bombay High Court set to begin hearings on fresh pleas from July 18. However, the 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs given to the Maratha community will continue this bench, comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge, NJ Jamadar and Sandeep Marne, announced on Wednesday that they would devote half-days, full working days and even some Saturdays - ordinarily court holidays - to complete the hearing hearing pertains to challenges against the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2024, which grants 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community. Under this order, any admission or job appointment made under the SEBC Act remains subject to final court directions. The matter was previously heard by a bench led by then-Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya. However, proceedings halted after his transfer to the Delhi High Court in January. Following this, some students approached the Supreme Court, citing harm to their admission prospects due to the ongoing legal uncertainty. The top court subsequently directed the Bombay High Court to constitute a new full bench, which has now taken Wednesday's hearing, senior advocate Pradeep Sancheti, representing the petitioners, urged the bench to expedite proceedings as the academic admission cycle was underway. He argued that, unlike job appointments, delayed admissions would be harder to rectify, even with the interim order in General Dr Birendra Saraf, appearing for the Maharashtra government, said the state needed more time to respond to the latest petition filed in court. He maintained that the interim order provided adequate safeguards and questioned the urgency shown by the petitioners. He also suggested that the petitioners withdraw the new plea if they were unwilling to allow time for the state to considering the submissions, the bench scheduled the hearing for five weeks SEBC Act, passed on February 20 last year by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, followed recommendations by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) led by retired Justice Sunil Shukre. The commission had concluded that "exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations" warranted reservation for the Maratha community beyond the 50 per cent cap mandated by the Supreme legislation, which came just ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, sparked a series of public interest litigations and petitions challenging its constitutional validity. Simultaneously, numerous intervention applications have been filed by Maratha organisations defending the reservation and opposing the addition to the reservation issue, petitions have also been filed questioning the legality of Justice Shukre's appointment as chairperson of the Watch

Cabinet nod for Indian Railways' line doubling projects: Freight traffic set to receive additional boost of 49 million tonnes annually
Cabinet nod for Indian Railways' line doubling projects: Freight traffic set to receive additional boost of 49 million tonnes annually

Indian Express

time3 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Cabinet nod for Indian Railways' line doubling projects: Freight traffic set to receive additional boost of 49 million tonnes annually

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two line doubling projects of the Indian Railways, namely, the 133-km Koderma-Barkakana Doubling and the 185-km Ballari-Chikjajur Doubling, which cover a total of seven districts in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The total estimated cost of the projects is Rs 6,405 crore. The Koderma-Barkakana line passes through a major coal producing area of Jharkhand. Along with this, it serves as the shortest rail link between Patna and Ranchi. The cost of doubling of the line is Rs 2,063 crore. According to the Ministry of Railways, line doubling will facilitate an additional cargo of 30.4 million tonnes (mt). It will connect four districts of Jharkhand, namely, Koderma, Chatra, Hazaribagh and Ramgarh. The project will be challenging from an engineering point of view since it will involve the construction of 17 major bridges, 180 minor bridges, 42 road over bridges (ROBs) and 13 road under bridges (RUBs). The project will provide connectivity to over 900 villages, the Indian Railways said. The second project Ballari-Chikjajur line crosses Ballari and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The total cost of the project is Rs 3,342 crore. According to the Indian Railways, the doubling of the rail line will facilitate the movement of additional cargo of 18.9 mt. It will cater to transport of iron ore, coking coal, finished steel, fertilisers, foodgrains, and petroleum products, among other items. The 185-km project will involve the construction of 19 stations, 29 major bridges, 230 minor bridges, 21 ROBs and 85 RUBs. The line will connect over 400 villages on the stretch. These two projects together will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 318 km and additional freight traffic of 49 mt per annum. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More

MSRTC to shun pvt contractors, buy own buses: Sarnaik
MSRTC to shun pvt contractors, buy own buses: Sarnaik

Time of India

time4 hours ago

  • Time of India

MSRTC to shun pvt contractors, buy own buses: Sarnaik

Pune: State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday said henceforth, MSRTC will not procure buses under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model but will own the vehicles. The GCC model involves public transport bodies partnering with private agencies to procure, operate and maintain buses. The minister, while speaking on the sidelines of Commercial Vehicles Forum-2025 in Pune, said, "We want to own our buses. MSRTC aims to procure 5,000 self-owned buses annually, of which 1,000 will be electric smart buses, while the remaining will be diesel-run. We plan to procure 25,000 buses in the next five years." Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) pays a fixed price per km to private agencies for the service. The private players bear the cost of the upkeep of the vehicles. "The state govt will provide funds to procure the buses. The number of buses in MSRTC's fleet has drastically reduced, so the decision was made to procure our own buses," Sarnaik said. The state transport body's move comes after it received only 216 e-buses out of the planned 5,150 e-buses from Olectra Greentech and Evey Trans Pvt Ltd. The contract, worth Rs 10,000 crore, was signed in 2023, under which the buses were to be delivered this year. However, after only 216 of the buses were delivered to the state transport body, Sarnaik ordered the termination of the contract last month. The minister, however, reversed the decision and told the consortium to deliver the buses adhering to a fresh timeline. As per the revised timeline, 625 buses would be delivered to MSRTC in 2025; 2,100 buses in 2026, and the remaining buses in 2027. The new e-buses will include AI-enabled CCTV cameras that will monitor driver behaviour. If the driver yawns or uses a cellphone while driving, the system will alert passengers and trigger a danger alarm. Taking into consideration the safety of women passengers, the cameras will also monitor passengers' movements and activities. "The buses will be equipped with foam-based fire extinguishers and will have systems to prevent unauthorised entry when the buses are parked or locked. Any such attempt will trigger an alarm," Sarnaik said. At present, MSRTC has around 15,000 buses in its fleet. As many as 2,600 regular buses will be added to the current fleet by the end of the year, and a few existing buses will be scrapped. Regular commuters, however, said the transport body has been overpromising and underdelivering. "Some or the other plan is being announced each week, but there are no changes on the ground," Girish Sahne, a regular MSRTC commuter, told TOI. Meanwhile, the minister said the authorities concerned are working on resolving the issue of the Shivajinagar bus stand. "Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar held a meeting recently. The issue will be resolved soon. Also, the plan to redevelop 72 bus stations is in progress. We are focusing on the cleanliness and security of bus depots and stations. After the alleged Swargate rape case, we are focusing on the safety of women. So, we are looking at smart buses with facilities powered by AI," the minister said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store