BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide Orders Strict Audit Of Vending Spaces During Mumbai Footpath Reclamation Drive
· Free Press Journal

Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide on Monday personally inspected the BMC’s ‘Pedestrians First’ drive in the Mumbai City area and ordered a strict audit of licensed vending spaces, with action against violators. The crackdown follows concerns raised by corporators over the poor ground-level implementation of the initiative at last week’s Standing Committee meeting.
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Footpath Conditions Assessed Across Five South Mumbai Wards
The inspection covered footpath conditions and repair requirements across key locations in Mumbai’s five wards in South Mumbai including Nana Chowk, Grant Road, Tardeo, Nair Hospital, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marg, Lokmanya Tilak Marg, Marine Lines, Chandanwadi and Crawford Market. The assessment primarily focused on the existing condition of footpaths, identifying damaged or deteriorated stretches, and determining the scope of necessary repairs and improvements.
Bhide directed officials to improve, beautify and secure footpaths by removing all encroachments and obstructions, ensuring that the improvements are clearly visible to citizens. She also stressed protecting tree roots, carrying out proper pruning, and scientifically removing unsafe trees as per regulations, while taking strict action against hawkers exceeding designated vending spaces.
Hawker Licences Verified During Ground Inspection
During the inspection, Bhide personally verified hawker licences and instructed vendors and their representatives to operate strictly within designated areas, without obstructing pedestrian movement, and to maintain cleanliness. Officials were also directed to improve pedestrian access around Grant Road Railway Station, Jagannath Shankar Sheth Metro Station and B. Y. L. Nair Hospital.
BMC Removes 14 Unauthorised Structures, 77 Hawker Obstructions And Nine Food Trucks From Worli-Prabhadevi FootpathsShe further inspected waste-management facilities and key Garbage Vulnerable Points (GVPs), directing officials to install ‘No Littering’ signage, deploy CCTV cameras at recurring dumping spots, beautify the locations and strengthen dry-waste segregation and labelling.
In the first phase of the drive, 200 footpaths are being targeted, with work underway on 81. So far, nearly 68 km of footpaths have been cleared, with 443 enforcement actions initiated. The initiative focuses on footpaths connecting railway and Metro stations, schools, colleges, hospitals, civic and government offices, religious places and other high-footfall areas. As part of the drive, the civic body is clearing encroachments, unauthorised structures, hawker obstructions, stored materials, signboards, banners and other impediments to ensure safer and unobstructed pedestrian movement across Mumbai.
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