Planning to buy a car in Mumbai? You may soon need proof of parking space for vehicle registration

In a bid to address the growing parking woes and worsening traffic congestion in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the Maharashtra government is likely to mandate proof of an allotted parking space for registration of new vehicles, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Monday.

Announcing the state’s plans to introduce an integrated parking policy, Sarnaik said the measure is being considered to curb illegal street parking and ensure that the number of vehicles in a locality does not exceed the available parking infrastructure.

“We will not register new vehicles if the buyer doesn’t have a certificate of parking space allotment from the concerned civic body,” Sarnaik said after a high-level meeting with officials of the transport department, urban development department, and municipal commissioners.

The move follows rising concerns over shrinking parking spaces and increasing vehicle numbers in MMR.

The proposed policy aims to promote the development of parking facilities, including underground options beneath playgrounds and gardens, without compromising green cover.

All municipal commissioners in the region have been asked to submit detailed reports with suggestions by June 18. Based on these inputs, the transport and urban development departments are expected to finalise the policy, which may be announced in the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature.

Sarnaik said that in cases where vehicle owners do not have parking within their residential premises, the local municipal corporation would be required to provide the necessary facility.

The transport department is set to carry out surveys to identify and catalogue existing parking spaces, assigning each spot a unique identifier. New vehicle buyers will have to link their registration to one of these approved spaces, The Indian Express reported.

A similar model was recently implemented in Chennai, where the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority requires proof of parking to permit vehicle registration.

“To resolve this, the transport and urban development departments have decided to bring in an integrated parking policy,” the minister added. “Parking spaces could be developed under playgrounds, BMC gardens or any other land on a public-private partnership basis.”

Meanwhile, Sarnaik also said the government is evaluating the introduction of pod taxis in MMR to enhance urban mobility and last-mile connectivity.

“A presentation on the pod taxi project was made to me. I have visited Vadodara, where the world’s first commercially ready suspended pod-car system is coming up,” he said.

Plans are being explored to set up pod taxi networks in Mira-Bhayandar and the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) area.

An earlier meeting on Friday saw additional chief secretary Sanjay Sethi discuss the draft plan with stakeholders, including town planners, parking operators, car manufacturers and transporters.

Many stakeholders advised against hasty implementation, stressing the need for adequate public transport and parking arrangements, reported Hindustan Times. A social study group warned that the policy must be properly publicised to prevent confusion among the public, according to the report.