Indian Express 02.09.2010
Parking at Shivaji Park: state to seek court nod
Express News Service Tags : shivaji park parking, mumbai Posted: Thu Sep 02 2010, 23:59 hrs
Mumbai: The state home department has decided to move the Bombay High Court seeking permission to allow parking in Shivaji Park during Ganapati festival. A meeting was held recently by traffic police and BMC officials to find a solution for the issue that is turning into a major concern for the administration.“We will ask for relaxation (of the rule) during Ganapati festival as far as parking is concerned. There is no other place to park trucks that come to the city carrying Ganapati idols. We would move the court seeking its permission and see if the AG can represent the state,” said a senior Mantralaya official.
Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court had directed the civic body to ensure no private vehicles are parked on the Shivaji Park ground. The court was hearing a PIL filed by city-based Wecom Trust seeking ‘silence zone’ status for the park. Another bench of the court had, on May 5, directed that the park be declared a ‘silence zone’. A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice S C Dharmadhikari had asked the BMC to prohibit parking at the ground and file a reply.
The state government is making efforts to seek relaxation in the definition of silence zones as implementation of the 200-metre mark during the festivals has become a hindrance. “We are in touch with the Union Environment Ministry for a solution,” the official said. Meanwhile, police have already started preparing prevention notices to be sent to Ganesh mandals asking them to abide by rules.
