The  Indian Express   31.08.2012

Women self-help groups to manage half of civic-run parking lots

Improvements panel passes proposal first made in 2010

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Improvements Committee
on Thursday passed a contentious proposal to reserve the management of
50 per cent of the civic body’s parking spaces in the city for women
self-help groups.

According to the proposal, first put forward in 2010, another 25
per cent will be reserved for Mumbai’s educated and unemployed and the
remaining 25 per cent will be open to contractors from the general
public.

Following a petition by former councillor Hamida Mistry and
social worker Aslam Qureishi against the reservation of 25 per cent for
the open category, the High Court had passed an interim order on
November 15, restraining the BMC from finalizing the tender. On March
15, the High Court referred the matter to a competent authority of the
BMC asking the civic body to reconsider the reservation.

“We passed the proposal since it is a positive step towards
helping women and the unemployed. The groups that get the contracts are
supposed to run parking lots, and after paying the BMC, make a profit,”
said Improvements Committee member and BJP corporator Dnyanmurthi
Sharma. Committee member and Shiv Sena corporator Ramakant Rahate said,
“The rate for pay-and-park will be decided once tendering process begins
after the proposal is approved in the general body meeting. Contractors
will have to make a monthly payment based on this and will have to
maintain a three-month payment deposit with BMC,” he said.

To minimize traffic congestion aggravated by illegal parking in
non-earmarked zones, the BMC will implement the scheme at 92 locations
identified in 15 of the 24 wards. It expects to earn a revenue of Rs
11.13 crore from licence fee for 24 months. According to officials of
the Development Plan Department, a total area of 11,0466 square metres
has been reserved for approximately 8,400 cars, 3,954 square metre. for
about 160 buses and 4,109 square metres for around 1,400 two-wheelers.

At a meeting in July, committee member and Samajwadi Party leader
Raees Sheikh had raised the issue of a few contractors using women
self-help groups as a front for managing more parking spaces.

“There are no checks to see these will actually be run by women
self-help groups. The women may simply be used as a cover-up for the
parking mafia,” he said.