BMC does it again!

Local residents and activists have filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court against the construction on the open space under the park. File pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has extended the submission dates for tenders for construction of the underground parking lot at Patwardhan Park in Bandra for the eighth time, but not cancelled the tender despite strong opposition from residents and activists. The activists filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court and the hearing is tentatively scheduled in August.

The BMC had floated a tender to construct the underground parking at Patwardhan Park in Bandra West on March 6. As per the earlier schedule, the last date for submission of the tenders was April 3. The process was first delayed with two extensions for a pre-bid meeting. Initially, the BMC extended the deadlines by a week but now it has extended it for a month.

The BMC has published the pre-bid meeting minutes, extension to bidding and a change in the plan of the underground multilevel electromechanical car parking system on its website. In the recent addition, the civic body mentioned the last date for sale of tender is August 25.

Local residents and activists have filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court against the construction on the open space and the tentative hearing is on August 23. "The BMC should cancel the process amid so much opposition, but instead it has once again extended the tender dates by another month," said Zoru Bhathena, one of the petitioners.

Petitioners Bhathena and Alan Abraham claimed that in the immediate vicinity (within 150 metres) of Patwardhan Park, there exist over 500 officially sanctioned car parking spaces for mercantile establishments. However, the petitioners have observed that almost 400 of these parking spaces are lying unused or encroached upon.

"We are waiting for a better response to the tender. There is no limit on the number of times the tender period can be extended," said an official from the traffic department of the BMC.

March 6: Tender floated by the BMC

April 3: Original date of submission of tender
April 10: First extension to date of submission of tender
April 17: Second extension
April 24: Third extension
May 9: Fourth extension
May 24: Fifth extension
June 23 Sixth extension
July 24: Seventh extension
August 25: Eight extension