Latest news with #Narwekar
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Declared free for use, SoBo parking lots still charging motorists
Mumbai: Days after nine parking lots in south Mumbai were declared free for public use following the expiry of their contracts, several motorists find themselves being charged at the sites. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A check at six of these parking spots by TOI revealed that four are still collecting parking fees from unsuspecting drivers. At Walchand Hirachand Marg in Ballard Estate (the stretch between Grand Hotel & Scindia House), motorists are being charged Rs 50 an hour. At Ramjibhai Kamani Marg and Nagindas Master Lane, the rate is Rs 70 per hour. Horniman Circle (between V N Road and Homji Street) too had fee collectors asking for Rs 70 an hour. Parking at Badruddin Tyabji Marg and Dorabji Tata Marg is, however, free. "This is ridiculous. I parked near Horniman Circle thinking it was free, and then a person shows up and asks for Rs 140 for 2 hours," a motorist who drives to Fort daily said. Angered over having been charged Rs 140 for 2 hours of parking near Horniman Circle, a motorist said, "There was no board, no clarity. Just a random person demanding that I pay." Another motorist said, "I paid Rs 70 at Nagindas Master Lane yesterday (Sunday). There was a person who said he was authorised to collect it. I had no way to verify, and I was in a rush." When contacted, a senior BMC official said, "Generally, after the surrender of a site, we send an intimation to the police station concerned and traffic division to keep the location under watch. However, considering the concern raised today about illegal fee collection, we will send a fresh reminder to them tomorrow." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The official added the 3-month extension for these sites lapsed on May 31, and in the interim, motorists were not supposed to be charged. "We are in the process of appointing a new agencies either for a 3-month period or a fresh two-year contract through the office of the deputy chief engineer (traffic). These sites are temporarily free until then," he said. Former Colaba corporator Makrand Narwekar slammed the situation. "The ward where all these parking lots are located is a high footfall area with many tourists and heritage sites. For too long, motorists have suffered due to the unholy nexus between officials and contractors. It's unacceptable that people are being asked to pay for services that have no legal backing," he said. On May 6, after receiving numerous complaints from residents, Narwekar wrote to the municipal commissioner demanding that pay-and-park facilities be made free once the existing parking contracts expire. "The civic body was taking action against engineers and had conducted sting operations to expose overcharging. If those allegations were true, then why is BMC allowing these illegal operations to continue?" he said.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ex-corporator to BMC: Launch pothole portal, fine engineers ₹5K for delays
Mumbai: Following a spell of unseasonal rain that left Mumbai's streets waterlogged and riddled with potholes, former BJP corporator from Colaba, Makarand Narwekar, has written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demanding the creation of a dedicated pothole complaint portal and a real-time public dashboard to track road repairs. In a letter addressed to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Narwekar highlighted the recurring issue of potholes, particularly during the monsoon, calling it a matter of urgent civic concern. 'To effectively tackle this annual menace, the BMC must establish a robust pothole management system that enables citizens to easily lodge complaints and monitor their resolution within a fixed timeframe,' he wrote. 'A real-time dashboard, accessible to the public, should be developed to display the status of pothole repairs across the city.' To ensure accountability, Narwekar has proposed stringent penalties for delays in repair work. He recommended that road engineers and contractors be fined ₹5,000 per pothole for every day repairs remain pending beyond 48 hours of being reported. He also criticised the slow pace of the civic body's ongoing road concretisation project in south Mumbai, warning that the May 31 deadline is unlikely to be met. 'If the current pace continues, Mumbaikars will again be forced to endure pothole-ridden roads throughout the monsoon,' he cautioned.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Set up portal for potholes, fine engineers over delays
Mumbai: Against the backdrop of unseasonal rain in the city, former BJP corporator from Colaba, Makarand Narwekar, has demanded that BMC develop a 'pothole portal' and 'dashboard for complaints'. In a letter to the municipal commissioner, Narwekar has also demanded that a penalty of Rs 5,000 a day be imposed on road engineers if they fail to ensure that potholes are filled within 48 hours. The letter says that BMC should take steps to address the "recurring issue" of potholes which cause "immense inconvenience" to citizens, especially during monsoon. "It is, therefore, imperative to establish a robust pothole-filling system that enables citizens to report pothole complaints and track their resolution within a stipulated timeline. The civic body must also develop a live dashboard, which should be accessible to the public, and must display real-time updates on pothole repair status across the city," the former corporator has said. He has also said that to ensure timely action and accountability, the fine should be imposed on engineers and contractors who fail to address potholes promptly. "A fine of Rs 5,000 per pothole per day should be levied on road engineers for delays if potholes are not filled within 48 hours of being reported," Narwekar has said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scalable retail: Video analytics firm enables more traffic thanks to robust computing power - Google Cloud: Future of Infrastructure CIO | Google Cloud, AMD Undo He has pointed out that the municipal corporation has not yet achieved its target for concretisation, and has stated that the work is progressing at a snail's pace in the island city. Against this backdrop, Narwekar has observed that it is highly likely that citizens would continue to suffer due to potholes during the monsoon season.
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
BMC proposal to set up carousel at Cooperage ground fails to attract bidders
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which invited an expression of interest (EoI) last month for setting up a horse carousel in south Mumbai's Cooperage Ground at Cuffe Parade is yet to gain responses from interested bidders. The authorities have extended the deadline. Meanwhile, former elected representatives from the area have urged the civic authorities to raise funds through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. A horse carousel is an amusement ride comprising a rotating circular platform along with seats for riders. It's also termed a 'merry-go-round'. The BMC on March 3 floated the EoI inviting bidders for setting up and maintenance of this carousel for a seven year period. According to the EoI document, the proposed carousel will be constructed on 5,000 square feet of land and will have 32 seats. Civic officials maintained that the seats will be designed in a way that it will be able to accommodate one child and one adult side-by-side. 'The project was proposed under public-private-partnership (PPP) under which the BMC would give out the land parcel to the operator who would set up the carousel and maintain it on their own expenses. A larger chunk of the profit would go to them, while they have to pay an amount to the BMC. The overall model appears economically non-viable to the contractors for which we haven't received good response from bidders,' said a civic official. Meanwhile, Makarand Narwekar, former corporator from Colaba said the proposed initiative could play a significant role in helping to restore its historic glory of Cooperage Ground. 'This proposal should be considered positively with a view to serving the larger public interest. I hope the corporate entities will be very keen in investing their resources in this iconic project,' added Narwekar. One of the oldest open spaces in Mumbai – the origin of the Cooperage Bandstand garden is traced back to 1867 – when it was a popular go-to place for the city's aristocats as well as common citizens. During the 1860s, the entire heritage precinct of Oval Maidan, Madame Cama Road and Maharshi Karve Road, was a promenade with a garden, also known as 'ghoda' maidan amongst locals as people would turn up here to enjoy horse rides adjoining the promenade. However, with the changing times, horse rides were banned and the garden also became dilapidated due to lack of maintenance. Later, between 2018 and 2021, civic authorities revamped the garden area including the Bandstand structure that stands in the middle.
