Mumbai: The traffic woes of citizens are likely to come to an end with the ‘assurance’ of the Maharashtra government to formulate a comprehensive policy for reducing the vehicular congestion in the city. This comes after the Bombay High Court rapped the government for dragging its feet over framing a policy to reduce illegal parking and also the traffic congestion, which has been choking every street in the city.
A division bench of Justices Naresh Patil and Girish Kulkarni observed, “We do not know why the government has not yet framed any such comprehensive policy. You (government) must have a strong will to introduce and implement such a policy. It is only then, the woes of citizens would come to an end.” At this, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhkoni submitted that the government would consider implementing a policy on a trial basis. The submissions, however, did not went down well with the bench, as it said, “We do not want to hear such things any more. We have seen in several cases, authorities claim to implement on a trial basis but that never happens. And then the citizens are blamed for opposing the new norm.”
“You must rope in the elected representatives from each and every area in the city. Ask them to convince the voters to abide by the norms, which you propose to do. This, we think, can prove to be helpful for you,” Justice Patil said. Meanwhile, the amicus curiae Sharan Jagtiani read out several reports giving out some ‘workable’ measures to reduce congestion. “One of the report recommends to prohibit parking on specific roads, during the peak hours. This would help reducing traffic snarls. Another report suggests dedicated bicycle lanes,” he submitted.
Having heard the submissions, Justice Kulkarni, said, “Bicycle lanes is a good idea but can it be worked out in a city like Mumbai. The situation here is that every road is congested.” “Instead you (government) can consider starting a dedicated radio channel to give real time traffic updates. The radio channels can prove helpful for citizens, especially on days like July 2005 floods, when there is no first-hand information with them,” Justice Kulkarni further added.
During the course of the hearing, the bench was informed by AG Kumbhkoni of the provision of a dedicated ‘parking authority’ in the Development Plan (2034). He claimed the authority would be tasked with overseeing parking issues in the city. The judges, however, did not agreed to his submissions, saying, “We do not want a parking authority, instead we want an authority which can even regulate the traffic. We want an authority which will override the existing ones like the traffic police, civic body etc.”
The bench was seized with a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) highlighting the traffic congestion in the city and also the rampant illegal parking. The matter will next be heard on July 26, when the government has been asked to submit a draft policy.