Car showrooms, garages can't get license without showing parking space

From now on, car showrooms and garages will have to show parking space available to them to get license from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta said the point has been made clear in the draft Development Plan (DP) and BMC's license department will have to ensure the implementation.

The issue was discussed in a meeting of chairpersons of 17 ward council committees from across the city, in the presence of mayor Snehal Ambekar and the civic chief.

Ward council chairpersons had raised the issue of vehicles parked on the roads by car showrooms. One of the chairmen said neither the traffic department nor the BMC took any action against them. Similarly, garages wash, repair and park their vehicles on the road but nobody questions them, even though it inconveniences other residents of these areas.

Mehta assured the heads of ward council committees that the issue will be addressed in the new DP and the same will be implemented. "Only if showrooms and garages show that they have enough parking space to operate their business, the BMC will issue them license," Mehta said.