Over 400 cars that were removed from a BMC-run parking lot, which flooded during last week’s heavy rain, have to wait 3-20 days for repairs that will run into lakhs
Dipesh Mahadik said repairs to his car are going to cost Rs 2 lakh
After witnessing the fury of rains for over three days, motorists are facing a bigger challenge — repairing their broken-down vehicles as almost all service centres are overbooked, leading to a waiting period of three to 20 days. Over 400 cars in a BMC parking lot in Thakur Complex, Kandivli were damaged as the place got flooded during the recent heavy rain. Those whose cars were completely submerged are waiting to get them checked by insurance companies.
The cars were removed by the BMC from the parking lot after water was pumped out. Their owners have said that only the BMC is responsible for the damage as they were not asked to move their cars. Even as they took them to the service centres, they encountered a long queue.
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Kandivli resident Santosh Mirashi owns a Swift Dzire car. “My car was submerged for two days. This caused severe damages and my car refuses to move. I was paying Rs 2,200 as parking charges for the month. The engine, battery, seats, and the car’s body are all completely damaged. I have applied for insurance and am waiting for the survey. I hope my claim gets approved. With the long waiting period at service centres, I think it will take at least a month to get my vehicle working again,” Mirashi said.
Also read: Mumbai Rains: IMD issues Orange Alert for next two days
Alpesh Shedge bought his secondhand Swift Dzire car only two weeks ago
Dipesh Mahadik, who owns an Ertiga, said, “My area was flooded during the rain so I rushed to check on my car at the BMC parking lot. The place was completely flooded and my car was invisible. It is a huge loss for me. It will cost me Rs 2 lakh to repair it at the workshop, which also has a huge waiting period.”
Alpesh Shedge, a Kandivli resident who works in a diamond factory, said, “I purchased a secondhand Swift Dzire car only two weeks ago and parked it at the BMC-run parking lot. I paid Rs 2,000 as charges. Now, this incident has happened. I have given my car to a Dahisar-based repair centre. It’s going to cost me more than Rs 80,000. The BMC should pay us for the damages as they failed to alert us to remove the cars.”
Backlog at service centres
Service centres, on the other hand, are facing immense pressure and are having to work day and night to reduce the backlog.
Modi Hyundai in Goregaon said that they are constantly fielding calls from customers enquiring about the waiting period. “Currently, 115 cars are waiting to get repaired, each has to wait for at least four to five days,” said an executive from the centre.
An executive at Maruti Suzuki Service, Prabhadevi, said, “We have more than 50 cars waiting to be serviced, all damaged by floods. Many motorists who are approaching us are from western Mumbai.” An executive at Maruti Service centre in Ghatkopar said that they have a five-day waiting period.
Mohan Shetty from Wasan Motors, Kandivli, said they, too, are facing a similar scenario. “The waterlogging in many areas has damaged vehicles. Our service centre currently has 15 cars but we are consistently getting enquiries about repairs,” Shetty said.
Naresh Kudalkar, a garage owner at Mulund, said, “There is certainly an increase in broken-down vehicles coming to the garage. I have more than five vehicles coming for repairs daily.”
Insurance dilemma
Many vehicle owners are in a dilemma as insurance companies usually pay minimum claim amounts for vehicles damaged in floods. Insurers said that it all depends on the extent of the damage and the kind of insurance policy.
Priti Shah of New India Insurance said, “We can see damage to vehicles across the city due to waterlogging. But it has not been reflected in terms of insurance claims yet as it is a long process. We believe that they will reach us later this week. Going by news reports of incidents, there will be a lot of work in the near future.”
‘It was natural calamity’
Assistant Municipal Commissioner Sandhya Nandekar of R North ward told mid-day, “I just took charge of the ward and our engineers are working on it and they will provide information on this.” The executive engineer of the ward Mahadev Shinde told mid-day, “BMC is not responsible for the damages as it is a natural calamity. On that day, around 200 mm rain occurred because of which water got accumulated inside the parking lot. We tried to remove the water with the help of pumps but failed because the force was too much. We couldn’t inform car owners as the rain had suddenly increased. On that day, rainwater came in force from the Asha Nagar nullah which overflowed and from Damu Nagar hills. It was impossible to stop it. It was like the 2005 deluge. We have sent all files to the BMC head office.”
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