The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has revived its plan to develop 27 underground parking facilities across Mumbai, with one proposed in each administrative ward, as the city struggles with a growing shortage of parking space.
The initiative was announced by BJP Mumbai president and MLA Amit Satam during the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s Monsoon Session. According to Satam, local MLAs and corporators have been asked to identify suitable plots and open spaces in their respective wards for the proposed facilities.
Mumbai has more than 50 lakh registered vehicles, with nearly 728 new vehicles reportedly being added to the city’s roads every day, Satam said. Limited parking capacity has resulted in vehicles being parked along roadsides, reducing available road space and contributing to traffic congestion.
To avoid acquiring additional land, the proposed parking facilities are planned beneath existing parks, playgrounds and other open spaces. Satam said this approach would enable the city to increase parking capacity while retaining the surface areas for public use.
The plan was first announced in May 2026 as part of the Mahayuti government’s report on its first 100 days after taking control of the BMC. A budgetary provision for the initiative has also been included in the civic body’s 2026-27 budget.
The proposal effectively revives a policy originally formulated in 2018 during the tenure of then-Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, but which was not implemented. Civic data currently lists 37 authorised parking facilities in Mumbai, with a combined capacity of about 30,135 vehicles.
Several parking projects are already progressing. Redevelopment of a public parking facility on Jagannath Sawant Road in Dadar West began recently and is expected to accommodate around 1,000 vehicles. The BMC is also constructing an underground robotic parking facility at Hutatma Chowk in South Mumbai. Estimated at around ₹200 crore, the four-level facility is planned to accommodate 194 cars.
Two underground parking facilities with capacity for 200 vehicles each have already been completed near the Mumbai Coastal Road at Worli Dairy and Worli Sea Face. Another facility with capacity for 1,200 vehicles is under construction at Lotus Jetty in Haji Ali.
However, some earlier proposals faced resistance. In 2024, plans for underground parking beneath Raosaheb Patwardhan Park in Bandra and Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu were withdrawn following objections from residents concerned about public green spaces.
The BMC has not yet provided a timeline for identifying all 27 sites or beginning construction, nor has it disclosed ward-wise project costs.
Source: Prop News Time
