MUMBAI: From Sunday, the BMC will fine motorists between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000 if their vehicles are found in noparking zones within 500m radius of the 26 public parking lots (PPL) in the city. The hefty fines are expected to cause altercations between motorists and officials, hence, the civic body has roped in ex-servicemen to assist the traffic police. The BMC and the traffic police are implementing the rules jointly. The penalty consists of two components—the fine and towing charges.“There are 26 parking lots in locations such as Parel, Dadar and Goregaon . If a vehicle is parked within 500m of these lots, it will be towed away and the owner will be fined. There are also 20-odd BEST depots where motorists can park during the day when buses are out. If a vehicle is parked within 500m of these depots, the owner will be fined,” explained a traffic police officer.Officials said that priority areas would be those where there is dense congestion and where parking lots are available. “We will start implementing the policy in areas where alternate parking is available,” said an official.Civic officials said the policy intends to get rid of illegal parking that blocks movement of emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire engines. They said all public parking lots are operational and at those where contractors are yet to be appointed, motorists will not be charged. At rest of the lots, motorists will be charged according to the rates fixed by the authority.The BMC’s improvement committee had requested the civic administration to postpone the date of the penalty policy implementation and demanded a discussion at the general body meeting first. However, the civic administration refused the request.Officials admitted that areas within 500m of parking lots where citizens were allowed free parking will resist the penalty and may refuse to pay and park. It will be easier in places where BMC provides free parking, said an official.In the run-up to the implementation, the BMC has started hiring ex-serviceman from private security agencies and training them to create awareness among people about parking lots as well as the new rule. The civic body has also begun putting up sign boards in no-parking areas, explaining the new rule. Officials said the aim is not to penalize motorists but to ensure public parking lots are utilized and roads are decongsted.“It is possible that motorists may not carry so much cash to pay the fines. But these enhanced fines will definitely shock them and deter then from parking just anywhere. There is a lot of space in public parking areas, they are only 20 to 30% full,” said transport analyst Ashok Datar.An activist hoped this policy does not encourage corruption among officers. “Altercations are expected. It is an aggressive step and there will be repercussions. But the civic chief seems to have put thought into this scheme. It’s possibly a trial to gauge the public reaction” said AV Shenoy of Mumbai Vikas Samiti. He said that once the amendments to Motor Vehicles Act are approved, enhanced fines would anyway come into effect.