Mumbai: In a major relief for devotees visiting Mumbai's famous Ganesh pandals during the upcoming Ganeshotsav, the Mumbai Traffic Police, in coordination with the Bombay Port Trust (BPT), have made special arrangements to address the perennial problems of traffic congestion and shortage of parking spaces in South and Central Mumbai.
Lalbaug-Parel Expected To Witness Over 1 Crore Devotees
For the first time, a temporary mega parking hub with a capacity of around 1,200 vehicles is being developed on vacant BPT land at Cotton Green. The initiative is aimed at providing parking facilities to devotees visiting the Lalbaug-Parel belt, which witnesses massive crowds during the 10-day festival.
The Lalbaug-Parel area is estimated to receive around 1.25 crore to 1.50 crore devotees during the festival, with footfall peaking on weekends and immersion days. The huge crowds often result in severe traffic congestion and vehicles being parked along roads.
Following a request from the Traffic Police, the BPT has made its vacant land at Cotton Green temporarily available for the mega parking facility. The ground is being levelled and arrangements for adequate lighting are being made so that devotees arriving late at night or in the early hours can park their vehicles safely.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyanarayan Choudhary said the Traffic Police had approached the BPT seeking land for parking, and the request was accepted. The Cotton Green facility, with a capacity of approximately 1,200 vehicles, will remain operational throughout Ganeshotsav. Clear signboards will also be installed on major roads to guide motorists towards the parking hub.
43 authorised parking lots to appear on Google Maps: In another major initiative, the Traffic Police have approached Google to make 43 authorised pay-and-park facilities visible on Google Maps. These parking locations were reportedly not easily available through digital searches earlier.
Of these, 37 major parking facilities are located in high-traffic areas including Parel, Lower Parel, Worli, Dadar, Sewri, Byculla, Bandra, BKC, Ghatkopar, Andheri, Goregaon and Borivali.
The move is expected to particularly benefit devotees travelling from outside Mumbai, who will be able to locate authorised parking facilities near their destination instead of searching for parking on congested roads.
Digital displays to show parking availability: The Traffic Police have also directed parking operators to install large digital display boards outside their facilities. The boards will provide information on the total parking capacity and the number of vacant spaces available at a given time, helping motorists avoid unnecessary rounds in search of parking.
6,000 volunteers and 55 watchtowers for traffic management: To manage the massive traffic movement during the festival and immersion processions, the Traffic Police will also take assistance from around 6,000 volunteers from various social organisations. The Traffic Police currently have around 3,500 personnel, who will work alongside the volunteers to manage traffic at key locations.
In addition, 55 watchtowers have been installed across the city to enable traffic officials to monitor traffic movement and respond quickly to congestion and other issues. The combined parking, digital mapping and traffic-monitoring measures are expected to make the annual Ganeshotsav pilgrimage to Lalbaug and Parel smoother and more convenient for devotees.
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