Mumbai, March 14 -- As the rising number of taxis and buses operating in the city have led to a parking crisis across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the state government on Friday told the legislative council that it will set up a committee to draft a comprehensive parking policy for the region. The committee will be headed by the additional chief secretary of the urban development department and will be given 90 days to submit its report. The government also announced that new parking facilities for 2,085 vehicles will be developed in Thane city by the end of 2027. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Niranjan Davkhare raised the issue through a calling attention motion, highlighting the sharp increase in app-based taxis and ride-sharing buses in Thane after the COVID-19 pandemic. He said many people took up taxi services as a source of employment, leading to a surge in such vehicles. Davkhare added that app-based bus services such as Cityflo have also contributed to the growing number of vehicles on city roads. "The number of taxis and buses has gone up massively but there is no space to park these vehicles. Due to a lack of sufficient parking facilities, owners and operators park these vehicles anywhere, such as on service roads or near housing complexes. This is causing traffic problems," said Davkhare. He also noted that the issue is not limited to Thane but affects several parts of the MMR. "Considering the scale of the problem, the government should prepare a parking policy for Thane and other cities in MMR. Legislators should also be part of the policy framing process," he added. In response, industries minister Uday Samant, who was asked by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde to reply to matters related to the urban development department, admitted that there is a problem of parking spaces. He said the government would frame a parking policy for the MMR and involve legislators from the region in the process. "A committee under the additional chief secretary of the urban development department would be set up to decide the parking policy for MMR. Legislators from MMR will also be appointed as members of the committee. The committee will be given a 90-day period to submit its report," said Samant. He added that the Thane Municipal Corporation currently has parking facilities for 2,152 vehicles at various locations. Work is underway to create additional parking for 2,085 vehicles, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2027....