Mumbai: In a move that has far-reaching implications, CM Vilasrao Deshmukh on Wednesday cleared a BMC proposal asking developers to provide double the parking space in all upcoming residential and commercial buildings in Mumbai.
 
  The move could push up the price of a flat by at least Rs 5 lakh, a builder who did not wish to be identified told TOI. “No builder is going to absorb the cost of providing double parking space,’’ he added.
 
 Deshmukh also gave the green signal to a parking lot under the iconic Cross Maidan to tackle the acute shortage of parking space in the Nariman Point-Fort business area.
   Senior government officials said the BMC’s new parking policy might soon be extended to all big cities in the state. Once in practice, it would mean that developers would have to account for two cars and provide twin parking slots for each flat. For commercial buildings, too, space for parking would have to be doubled.
 
 The BMC had submitted a proposal to the state urban development department seeking amendments to both private and public parking policies. The existing parking norms in private buildings—both residential and commercial—are laid down in the Development Control Rules (DCR) of 1991. BMC authorities had argued that parking had become a issue of deep concern in the last few years and could not be addressed by DCR, 1991.

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