mid-day impact: They believe some of the major concerns, one of which is the steep parking fine, need to be resolved
The primary concern of the private bus owners is the steep parking fine the civic body has been charging since early this year. File pic
Responding to the complaints raised by private bus owners, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to allow cleaners to stay inside buses while they are parked at the BEST depots. Even though the private bus owners are happy about it, they are still determined to approach the high court, as according to them, some of the major concerns were yet to be resolved.
On Wednesday, mid-day had reported about the grievances of the owners of private buses in the city. Their primary concern is the steep parking fine of R10,000 that the civic body has been charging since early this year. They also complained about inadequate parking spaces as well as the absence of a grievance redressal forum for those who would want to challenge the fine.
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A notification released by BEST on Thursday stated, "While until now only one person was allowed to stay in buses, henceforth the cleaners will also be permitted in the vehicles while its parked in our premises". A BEST official said, "Earlier we didn't allow the cleaners to stay in the buses due to some security concerns. However, now they will be allowed in the vehicles at the depots."
However, bus owners feel that the provisions for parking were made in areas where there was no need of it. "The BMC has provided parking in areas like Wadala, Colaba and Backbay. But our requirement is more in areas like BKC and Marol where there are limited parking spaces. If we have to divert the buses to South Mumbai, then we will be adding to the traffic, which defeats the purpose of having parking areas," said Malik Patel, secretary of Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatna.
He added that while owners were happy about the civic body's move to allow cleaners in the buses, they feel the other concerns need to be resolved too. Patel pointed out that only about 350 buses were allowed to park at night when there is clearly a requirement for more space. "We need at least 1,000-1,500 parking slots at night and more space in areas where the buses operate. For this, we are planning to file a petition in court by next week," said Patel.
Rs 10,000
Parking fine bus owners charged
1,000-1,500
Parking slots needed at night
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