Panvel civic body struggles to solve parking crunch

NAVI MUMBAI: The Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) finds itself in a spot, as it is unable to resolve the parking problem which is getting worse every day. Despite two attempts so far, the civic body could not appoint a consultant to carry out a survey or draw a master plan for creating parking lots in the city.
Roadside parking is a regular feature on the arterial roads of Panvel due to lack of space in the old buildings.
During rush hours, double parking in front of restaurants and offices is commonplace and the traffic cops can do little.
"Population is increasing in Panvel, along with the number of vehicles. Since residential societies have not been provided with parking space, vehicles are being parked along the roads. Any action against them will spark public protest," said a traffic cop.
PMC has been working overtime to draw a policy that includes creation of parking lots in the city. The civic body had decided to appoint a consulting agency to draw the master plan for parking and accordingly, invited bids from the parties. "However, we had to abort the plan due to lukewarm response from the bidders," said PMC chief officer Mangesh Chithle.
The consultant was supposed to study parking problems, available space in the city and draw a master plan in accordance with the traffic and government norms .
"We advertised twice to invite bids and float tenders to appoint a consultant. Only two parties responded after the second bid but they were underqualified for the job. We are planning to float tenders again in a few days," added Chithle.