Mumbai: The BMC is planning to set up underground parking facilities to decongest locations where there is a high demand for parking space. Accordingly, a tender was floated for the construction and maintenance of underground electro-mechanical car parking in the Fort area. Additionally, two other robotic parking towers have been proposed at Zaveri Bazar and Matunga. These will collectively create around 1,200 parking spaces in these crowded areas, said civic officials. The work on this project is expected to start in the month of September.
The civic body runs around 29 public parking lots (PPL) across the city. However, most people prefer to park their vehicles on the streets, often leading to traffic congestion. The BMC plans to develop underground parking facilities in every zone to counter this problem. A tender has been invited for the planning, construction and maintenance of a five-level underground parking system at Flora Fountain in south Mumbai. Since the area is a heritage precinct the parking facility has to be underground. “The contract period for construction of the underground parking lot would be 15 months and the contractor will be responsible for annual maintenance for the next 20 years,” said a civic official.
According to deputy municipal commissioner (infrastructure) Ulhas Mahale, the tender for underground parking at two locations has been opened and the work is expected to start from September. “The civic estate department has space for underground parking at Zaveri bazaar and Matunga. The estimated cost of the project will be around Rs 280 crore,” said another official.
