No sale of BEST land; parking hubs, Marathi theatres part of depot redevelopment plan: Maharashtra CM

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has ruled out the sale of any BEST-owned land as part of a proposed large-scale redevelopment of the undertaking’s properties, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directing officials to prepare a long-term revival plan that includes public parking facilities, employee housing and dedicated Marathi film theatres at select locations.

At a review meeting on the modernization of BEST bus depots, Fadnavis said redevelopment would be carried out through a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with ownership of the land and assets continuing to remain with BEST. The projects are proposed to be implemented through long-term lease arrangements.

The chief minister said redevelopment should not be limited to commercial exploitation of land and must also create public amenities. Besides museums, sports and cultural facilities, he suggested dedicated cinema halls with a seating capacity of 300-400 for Marathi films at select depots, with concessional screening arrangements.

Highlighting Mumbai’s parking shortage, Fadnavis said large-scale parking infrastructure should be integrated into the redevelopment plan. He also directed officials to examine development of transport hubs and bus parking facilities at former octroi check posts at Dahisar, Mankhurd, Anand Nagar (Mulund), LBS Road and Airoli Naka to reduce congestion caused by private buses entering the city.

Officials informed the meeting that BEST plans to redevelop all 22 bus depots spread across 132 acres in Mumbai through a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model. The proposal includes modern depot infrastructure, employee housing, public parking facilities, commercial development and electric bus charging infrastructure.

BEST general manager Sonia Sethi said the undertaking aims to modernize depots on the lines of systems in Singapore, Paris, Hong Kong and London. The redevelopment plan also envisages support infrastructure for an expanded fleet of 7,000 buses.

Fadnavis asked officials to prepare a detailed roadmap for BEST’s requirements over the next 22 years as part of the state’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” vision. The proposal, he said, should address future fleet requirements, workforce needs, revenues and expenditure while balancing three priorities, public interest, employee welfare and Mumbai’s long-term development.