Mumbaikars may no longer have to face the problem of overcharging at parking lots across the city as the BMC plans to come up with an app, which will help motorists in locating the nearest empty slot with real time status. It would also make the process more transparent and solve the problem of illegal parking.
According to sources, officials are in the process of developing the app with the help of Mumbai traffic police. Currently, BMC has 91 on-street parking lots with a capacity of accommodating over 11,000 vehicles and 47 slots inside buildings, which similar capacity.
Speaking to mid-day, a senior official from the Road and Traffic department said, "The app will be linked to all the parking lots in the city. The idea is to start a web-based parking system, which was proposed earlier. Under the system, when a vehicle enters the parking lot, the contractor will use the hand-held device to issue a receipt, which will have the vehicle's entry and exit time." He further said, "If this can be implemented successfully, then overcharging and illegal parking can be stopped."
Chief engineer of Roads and Traffic department, Sanjay Darade said, "We are taking help from the Mumbai traffic police to start the app. Once it's started, it will be of great help to citizens."
In 2014, BMC had proposed starting a web-based parking system at a couple of places in south Mumbai, but eventually it did not happen as it had failed to implement the new parking policy. Currently, contracts of most of the people who run the parking lots have ended and hence motorists are being overcharged. In the first week of April, the civic body introduced the new parking policy in South Mumbai, under which minimum charges have increased by 300 per cent.
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