BMC plans 50 per cent parking lots to be managed by women self groups

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to reserve for women self-help groups (Mahila Bachat Gat) and educated unemployed youth the right to manage 75 per cent of all parking lots in the city. The BMC had reserved tenders for these two groups thrice in the past, but neither responded. Under the proposed policy, 50 per cent of the total parking spaces will be reserved for women self-help groups and 25 per cent for registered educated unemployed institutions, a senior official from the BMC traffic department said. A total of 25 per cent will be reserved for the open category and of these, 3 per cent will be reserved for disabled people, the official added. “Accordingly, the tender process is being implemented at present,” said the official.

Mumbai has 92 pay-and-park lots with a total capacity of 11,271 vehicles. In January 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered the BMC to give women’s self-help groups the right to operate 50 per cent of the available parking lots and 25 per cent to unemployed youth. But the BMC says that despite floating tenders three times, neither women’s groups nor unemployed youth turned up to manage the parking lots. With no one to manage the lots, officials say they were forced to allow contractors, including those with a track record of overcharging, to operate these sites.

Opposition leaders and some experts allege that the BMC had tweaked the tender conditions in such a way that women self-help groups and unemployed youth would be unable to bid at all. According to civic officials, the BMC expects every bidder to pay 10 per cent of the contract cost as a deposit in order to be eligible to bid. “Under the BMC’s new parking policy, the rates are so high that anyone wanting to bid for operating the pay-and-park sites will have to shell out at least Rs 25-30 lakh. Why would anybody want to respond to such a tender then?” asked Rakhi Jadhav, Nationalist Congress Party leader in the BMC and a corporator from Ghatkopar.

“If these criteria have been set for the welfare of these groups, then how will they shell out such hefty sums? The civic administration’s policy shows they are following the Supreme Court’s order, but indirectly are favouring contractors,” added Jadhav. Shiv Sena corporator Sheetal Mhatre said, “Instead of pointing fingers, one must wait and watch how the new policy is implemented. If Mahila Bachat Gats complain about the high cost, we will look into the matter.” The proposal has been put before the BMC’s policy reform committee for approval.