Mumbaikars crying and practically banging their heads day-in-day-out over parking space is nothing new. It’s in many ways become a regular part of our daily lives, but then again there is always a saturation point. And therefore I have decided to do a post about the daily parking space trauma at my workplace.

Hijacked by contract buses

Firstly, it takes me nearly 45 minutes to an hour to get from Juhu to M.I.D.C, Andheri East. The less said about the traffic scene in Andheri East, the better it is. Come here any time of the day, at times even late evenings, you will be in most probability get stuck in a jam. Most of the roads around the M.I.D.C are dug up - but than I can’t re-call a single day in all the three years that I have been coming here - this is the pathetic state of one of the most popular industrial area in Mumbai city, 365 days.

So after wrestling with the rickshawallas (they can be such a pain in the ass), tempos, BEST buses, trucks, cars and humans, I reach my destination with my head already fucked-up for the day. But then this is not it, a-sight-for-sore-eyes greets me just outside my office building. My whole street is perpetually choked with contract buses. There is barely any space for cars to go thru from both ends. These contract buses are for staff pick-ups and drop-offs. Forget about buses (because of their big size) taking up parking spaces for at least 2-3 cars, most of these contract buses are not even hired by the companies in my street. They belong to firms located in Seepz, which is about 5 minutes drive from where I am. Since outside buses are not allowed to park with in Seepz compound, the contractors nicely get their vehicles parked in streets around the Seepz compound.

Show me some parking space !

The problem gets worse when we have visitors/clients coming in but there is just no parking space for them left. And the drivers of these contract buses refuse to budge and only move if threatened with police action. Even filing a complaint at the local RTO office is of no use, since the contractors shell out handsome bribe to the cops. When the pressure mounts on the cops, then they get the buses out of our street for couple of days. But then the contractors are at it again. Sometimes these assholes park their buses are the corner of the street, which in-turn leads to accidents, since the drivers turning into the street able not see the cars coming out. Due to limited parking space, there have also been quite a few fights among the neighboring offices.

Even the adjacent street is cramped up with trucks, which leaves hardly any space for cars to crossing by. In short, the only way I am able to secure a parking spot for my car is by yelling, screaming and threatening the bus driver to move off. Many a times, my boss had to interfere - on seeing situations getting out of hand. These days, my office security guard puts out a huge flower pot thereby blocking a parking spot for me.

Douple parking

But even this doesn’t stop the parking-spot hijackers; they have now started double parking. Again blocking more road space and making our lives even more miserable.

Just don’t understand what could be done to get rid-off this problem for good. Writing to the M.I.D.C managing committee, would be of no-use because these guys are very much aware of the problem but refuse to do anything about it. Filing a police complaint, as said earlier is only a temporary relief.

I just can’t imagine myself going thru this or-deal for the next couple of years.

Is there a permanent solution?