MUMBAI, May 17 -- A "shocker difficult to swallow" is how some stakeholders are describing the new policy on vehicular mobility being considered by the state. After tossing the ideas of making a parking certificate a mandatory requirement to register a new vehicle, and selectively levying a congestion tax, the state held its first meeting on Friday with various stakeholders to discuss them. At the meeting, additional chief secretary Sanjay Sethi of the transport department deliberated with town planners, social study groups, car owners/manufactures, parking management operators, bus operators, transporters, among others. Most stakeholders said it would be premature to implement the policy without proper parking arrangements and strengthening the public transport system. A social study group pointed out that the policy must be adequately publicised or else it would be a shocker, while school bus operators highlighted high parking charges. Bal Malkit Singh, former president of All India Motor Transport Congress suggested that the defunct octroi checkposts at Mankhurd, Mulund and Dahisar be converted into integrated truck terminals. "We have been demanded parking bays, godowns, offices, garages, fuelling/EV charging stations etc. Goods transported from outside the city could be stored at these facilities before being transported to outlets and consumers in the city. Our suggestion was well received by the transport department," he said. The transport department has also proposed restricting the entry of goods vehicles in congested cities as heavy vehicles contribute significantly to pollution. In Mumbai, for instance, air pollution has risen to worrying levels, forcing a rethink on transport policies. "The government is planning rented, shared and dedicated parking spaces in the city. We are also considering using malls and parking lots for parking at night as part of rented parking spaces," said an official. The officer said apart from the over 350-km metro network in MMR, other mass transportation modes like water transport connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, and Raigad and Ratnagiri, would strengthen transport infrastructure. Nitin Dossa, chairperson, Western India Automobile Association, opposed the proposed congestion tax. "Around 45% of the price of a car relates to taxes levied by the government, and any new tax is not expected. The government should first ensure that their public transport is robust and have ample parking space in the city," he said. Sanjay Sethi, additional chief secretary, transport department, said, "We are currently studying data on the availability of parking lots and identifying demand, to determining steps such as strengthening the mass transit system and addressing the gap in parking space."...