Auto rickshaw, taxi parking to be mandatory for Mumbai malls

It may become mandatory for malls in the country’s financial capital to provide parking for auto rickshaws and taxis, if a new policy proposed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) comes into effect. The proposal is part of the Maharashtra government’s plans to decongest the city’s roads. The government has held meetings with all the stakeholders and has reviewed presentations made on the subject by the BEST, MMRDA, MSRTC, traffic authorities and the BMC, besides traffic experts Ashok Datar and Madhav Pai. During the evening hours, roads in the city are usually very congested, and roads outside malls and multiplexes get choked completely with traffic due to auto rickshaws and taxis. The proposal includes providing a separate track dedicated to auto rickshaws and taxis entering the malls and a separate entry and exit. But executing the plan requires using the space outside the malls and multiplexes and this needs changes in the city development plan which the BMC has to approve.