Mumbai: BMC finds footpath encroachments at 252 civic schools, 129 schools yet to report

A food stall outside a civic school, among the obstructions reported by the education department. Representation pic/iStock

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been working to clear footpaths adjoining civic school buildings as part of its ‘Pedestrian First' campaign.

Over the past month and a half, the education department has been coordinating with ward offices to address encroachments. The department asked officials to survey 436 school buildings across the western suburbs, eastern suburbs, and the city for footpath encroachments, according to building in-charge and administrative officers. Of these, 184 schools reported that the concerns had been resolved, while 123 reported unresolved issues. Another 129 schools have not provided information on footpath concerns.

[popcorn number="436" desc="No. of schools surveyed" class="Default"]

OfficialSpeak

Sujata Khare, Education Officer
"This project is an ongoing initiative, as all improvements require regular monitoring and maintenance. For instance, waste cleared from the area outside a school may reappear after a few days. Our department is working in coordination with other departments to ensure that footpaths remain clean and accessible for everyone."

Parked vehicles

Most obstructions involved vehicles parked near school walls and on footpaths. Kiosks, temporary vendors operating around school hours, rickshaw stands, junk food stalls, and hawkers were also reported.

Priority footpaths

The civic body issued a letter in early August on the ‘Pedestrian First (Improving Walkability)' programme. It outlined encroachment and defined ‘priority footpaths', which provide access to educational institutions, including schools and colleges, hospitals, railway and metro stations, places of worship, government offices and other locations with high pedestrian traffic.