The demand to provide one parking space for every rehabilitated household under the NM Joshi Marg BDD Chawl redevelopment project was raised in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Tuesday, with legislators urging the state government to offer residents the same parking benefits being extended under the Worli BDD redevelopment project.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde highlighted the issue through a calling attention motion, stating that residents of NM Joshi Marg had been assured parity with the Worli project and deserved equal treatment. “After extending the one-to-one parking benefit to Worli residents, a similar assurance was given to NM Joshi Marg residents. The government should honour that commitment,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the Housing Department, Minister of State for Housing Pankaj Bhoyar informed the House that the NM Joshi Marg redevelopment covers 32 BDD chawl buildings comprising 2,560 residential and non-residential units, with the project being executed in multiple phases.
Bhoyar said that under the existing redevelopment policy, one parking space is provided for every four households. However, following recommendations from a government-appointed committee and representations from local residents and public representatives, the state has already enhanced the provision to one parking space for every two households in the NM Joshi Marg and Naigaon redevelopment projects.
He explained that, unlike the Worli BDD redevelopment, where adequate parking infrastructure has been incorporated, the NM Joshi Marg and Naigaon projects face significant land and space constraints, making it more challenging to provide additional parking facilities.
Despite these limitations, the minister assured members that the government would revisit the demand for one parking space per household after holding consultations with public representatives.
MLCs Anil Parab, Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lad also backed the proposal, arguing that parking has become an essential urban requirement and should be integrated into large-scale redevelopment projects across Mumbai.
Bhoyar said the government would review all suggestions received from legislators and convene a meeting with the concerned MLCs before taking a final decision on the demand.
Source: The Times of Inda
