BMC to build 27 underground parking lots beneath Mumbai gardens and playgrounds
On Wednesday, July 2, 2026, BJP Mumbai President Ameet Satam announced a major plan to construct 27 underground parking facilities beneath existing gardens and playgrounds across Mumbai's 27 administrative wards. The initiative, aimed at resolving the city's severe parking crisis, revives a concept that previously faced resistance in local neighbourhoods like Bandra, where a 2024 proposal to build parking beneath Raosaheb Patwardhan Park was shelved following intense public opposition.
Speaking during the monsoon session of the state Legislative Assembly, Satam stated that local MLAs and corporators have been tasked with identifying suitable open plots within their respective wards for the new underground parking hubs. The project seeks to address the massive shortage of parking spaces for Mumbai's rapidly growing vehicle population without requiring any new land acquisition.
Mumbai currently has more than 50 lakh registered vehicles, with nearly 728 new vehicles added to the streets every day. Because parking infrastructure has failed to keep pace with this growth, widespread roadside parking has clogged both sides of several major roads across the city.
The underground parking project is backed by dedicated funding in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) 2026–27 Budget. The plan was first unveiled in May 2026, when the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance presented its 100-day performance report after taking charge of the BMC.
According to Satam, the initiative resurrects a 2018 policy originally formulated during the tenure of then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which was never fully implemented.
At present, the BMC operates 37 authorised parking facilities across Mumbai, which have a combined capacity of 30,135 vehicles. To expand this, the civic body has launched several other parking projects. Last month, it began redeveloping the public parking lot on Jagannath Sawant Road in Dadar West into a model facility for nearly 1,000 vehicles.
Work is also underway on South Mumbai’s first underground robotic parking facility at Hutatma Chowk near Flora Fountain. This Rs 200-crore project features four underground levels designed to accommodate 194 cars using an automated lift system.
Additionally, the BMC has completed two underground parking facilities along the Coastal Road at Worli Dairy and Worli Seaface, each holding 200 vehicles, while a 1,200-vehicle underground facility is under construction at Lotus Jetty in Haji Ali.
However, the revival of the underground garden-parking policy may face scrutiny in areas like Bandra and Juhu. In 2024, the BMC was forced to shelve proposals for underground parking beneath Bandra's Raosaheb Patwardhan Park and Juhu's Pushpa Narsee Park due to strong opposition from local residents.
