Mumbai: The citizens' protest against the proposed 22-storeyed Multi-Level Robotic Parking Tower (MRPT) outside Matunga Central railway station has intensified which they allege is being implemented to help a builder constructing a commercial complex.

Designed to accommodate 480 vehicles, local citizens said the approach road Lakamsi Napoo Road is very narrow and if a large number cars use the facility it will create massive traffic congestion.

On Wednesday, officials from Central Railway and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducted a joint site inspection, during which the activists gathered in large numbers demanding scrapping of the controversial project.

“The parking tower will be nothing but a safety hazard and should be revoked immediately. It is aimed at helping a builder with political connections who is building a commercial complex. If the authorities do not relent then we will file a PIL in Bombay high court. We also demand the appointment of the Veermata Jijabai Technical Institute (VJTI) as a third party which will prepare an unbiased feasibility report,” Dr G.R. Vora, a trustee of the Petitions Group, which is vehemently opposing the project, told the FPJ on Wednesday.

The other main worry of citizens is that in the event of a rail disaster it will be very difficult to move out the injured and dead bodies. Most importantly, ambulances will have no access to the station.

Matunga station is used by thousands of students of Ruia College, Podar College, Welingkar Institute, Khalsa college, among others, apart from regular commuters. For constructing the parking tower, the police chowky outside the railway station is proposed to be relocated, which is being strongly objected to by the citizens.

The MRPT, which will cost Rs 119 crore, consists of two towers aimed at accommodating 480 vehicles. The project is undertaken by the BMC’s Road and Traffic department and recently received an NOC from Central Railway.

The robotic parking tower is set to come up right outside Matunga Central railway station, opposite the ticket counter. The area is around 1,518 square metres. The BMC-appointed contractor Jignesh Sanghavi has already erected fencing and is ready to start the construction. “If the BMC cancels the project then it should reimburse me the money I have spent on it," he added.

“Unless there are high-profile parties involved, such a project cannot be sanctioned,” Vora alleged. The Petitions Group recently wrote the Central Railways and BMC raising strong objections against the project citing the disadvantages and risks to the common public the project would create.

Deepak Chaurasia, who owns a shop outside Matunga Central railway station said, “There is an influx of college students at the railway station, especially in the morning. Additionally, there is a school for the blind, who walk with the support of a stick. It is true, in case of a disaster like fire, there will be hardly any space to escape."

A senior policeman from the beat chowky, which is proposed to be removed from for project said, “The beat chowky is proposed to be relocated. However, the existence of a police chowky near railway stations and colleges is a crime deterrent. Although the project is sanctioned, we wonder how will the ambulance go in in case of a disaster at the railway station.”

However, the contractor claimed that as per the project design, the beat chowky will be on the ground floor of the parking tower and 6 to 10-meter space will be left from all three sides of the tower for commuters exiting the railway station.