Why weren’t we consulted, ask corporators

On Monday, the new general body of corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said they weren’t informed before the civic body began to charge more for parking in parts of south Mumbai on Sunday.

However, the civic administration said that the rates had been implemented according to a 2015 BMC resolution.

The state government had stayed the new parking policy after the BMC began implementing it on a trial basis in A ward (areas of Churchgate, Colaba and CST).

The stay was lifted only earlier this year, leaving the BMC free to implement the new policy.

After a nod from the state, the civic body began executing the policy at 18 odd locations in A ward from Sunday.

A senior civic officer said, “We have not issued new tenders, but as existing contracts given on the basis of spot-quotations had expired, we gave the contractors a one-month extension and asked them to charge the new rates. This increase our revenue as the new policy is already in place.”

This, however, did not go down well with corporators. Anil Kokil, Shiv Sena corporator and BEST chairman, asked why corporators were not informed.

Yashwant Jadhav, group leader of Shiv Sena in the BMC, asked by their suggestions were not taken. BJP corporator and group leader Manoj Kotak asked how the BMC planned to curb illegal parking.

Ravi Raja, Congress group leader, said, “The ruling parties earlier passed the policy with a majority and now they trying to show concern. We were the ones who had opposed the policy then and we stick to our stand even now.” Sanjay Deshmukh, additional municipal commissioner, said, “The corporation (general body of corporators) had passed resolution in 2015 giving approval to this policy and thus we are now implementing it.”