Archive · 18 Jul 2026
BMC's ₹53-Crore Gorai Parking Plan Faces Activist Opposition
The BMC in Mumbai wants to build a big parking lot in Gorai to help with traffic near popular places like the Global Vipassana Pagoda and Water Kingdom.
They plan to spend ₹53 crore to buy green land for this.
But some activists are upset.
They say the parking lot mostly helps visitors to these places, not everyone in Mumbai.
They also think the money could be better spent on things like water, roads, and healthcare.
They don't want green land to be turned into a parking lot.
The BMC says they need to do this to fix the parking problem, but the activists want the project to be funded by the places that will benefit from it, not by taxpayers.
The BMC plans to acquire 9,712.70 sq m of green land in Gorai for a ₹53-crore parking facility.
The facility aims to ease parking congestion near the Global Vipassana Pagoda and Water Kingdom.
Activists argue the project primarily benefits private attractions and not the general public.
They also oppose the use of green land for parking and call for greater financial discipline.
The BMC currently operates 37 parking facilities with a combined capacity of 30,135 vehicles.
- Who
- BMC and activists
- What
- Controversy over the acquisition of green land for a parking facility
- When
- Ongoing
- Where
- Gorai, Mumbai
- Why
- To ease parking-related congestion near tourist spots, but activists argue it is an unjustified use of civic funds and green land.
BMC and Supporters
Activists and Critics
Purpose of the Parking Facility
BMC and Supporters
The BMC argues that the parking facility is necessary to ease congestion near tourist spots like the Global Vipassana Pagoda and Water Kingdom.
Activists and Critics
Activists argue that the facility primarily benefits private attractions and not the general public, making it an unjustified use of civic funds.
Use of Green Land
BMC and Supporters
The BMC sees the acquisition of green land as a necessary measure to address the parking shortage in Mumbai.
Activists and Critics
Activists believe paving over green land in Gorai for parking defeats its ecological purpose and is an unjustified use of civic funds.
Funding and Financial Discipline
BMC and Supporters
The BMC plans to bear the entire compensation cost for the land acquisition, arguing it is a necessary civic investment.
Activists and Critics
Activists argue that the project should be funded by the beneficiaries or through a public-private partnership, not taxpayers' money, and call for greater financial discipline and transparency.
- Land Area
- 9,712.70 sq m
- Project Cost
- ₹53 crore
- Location
- Gorai, near Global Vipassana Pagoda and Water Kingdom
- Current Parking Facilities
- 37 authorised parking facilities with a combined capacity of 30,135 vehicles
- Daily Vehicle Addition
- 728 new vehicles added every day
- Total Registered Vehicles
- More than 50 lakh