Bombay High Court asks state govt to stop illegal parking under flyovers

The Bombay High Court Monday directed the state government and other statutory agencies to remove illegal parking from under the flyovers in Mumbai within three months as per earlier orders restricting such parking owing to security reasons.

Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court Monday directed the state government and other statutory agencies to remove illegal parking from under the flyovers in Mumbai within three months as per earlier orders restricting such parking owing to security reasons.

Justices Abhay S Oka and CV Bhadang were hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Mumbai residents Shaukat Ali Betgeri and Mohsin Shaikh which has claimed that parking under flyovers continued in the city in violation of earlier court orders as well as a decision taken by the government in 2008 to ban the same, owing to security concerns.

“Stop all illegal parking and allied activities under the flyovers within a period of three months,” said the HC. Besides directing agencies like Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, BMC and the state government to take action against illegal parking, the court added that if the government felt there was no threat perception for such parking under flyovers, it could move the court to vacate earlier orders.

The petitioners had earlier pointed out to the court that not only was parking allowed under several flyovers in Mumbai, but private entities were also allowed to collect a parking fee.

The PIL claimed this “callousness” on the part of the authorities violated earlier orders. The government decision, quoted in the PIL, had said, “For security reasons, parking under flyovers should forthwith be discontinued as there is every possibility of destruction of flyovers and the space below flyovers should be given to entrepreneurs for the purpose of beautification or landscaping and maintenance thereof.”

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

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