BMC seeks HC permission to use Shivaji Park during Ganeshotsav

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today moved the Bombay High Court seeking its permission to allow parking of vehicles alongside the sprawling Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai during the forthcoming Ganesh festival this month.
However, the division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah asked the civic body to approach the bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud, which had last year passed the order on a similar plea.
BMC wants permission for the second, fifth, seventh and tenth day of the festival which starts from September 9.
A permission would be needed because the High Court had earlier declared Shivaji Park as falling within 'silence zone' and restrained BMC from granting permission to any festival celebrations in the area, while hearing a PIL filed by an NGO 'Wecom Trust'.

The NGO today told the court that last year the bench, headed by Justice Chandrachud, had advised BMC, police and NGOs to hold a joint meeting over the issue and find alternative sites for parking during festivals.
Although such meetings were held recently, the minutes of the meetings had not been supplied to them. Also, no alternative sites had been identified, Trust's lawyer said.
BMC lawyer S U Kamdar argued the vehicular traffic had during the festivals increased manifold and it was difficult to regulate the traffic flow during festivals.