Ahead of BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide's first major policy push, mid-day sought her views on some of Mumbai's most pressing civic issues — safer footpaths, implementation of the civic body's 'Pedestrian First' policy, encroachments by hawkers, the Rs 13,000-crore flood mitigation master plan, and the future of the 10 per cent water cut imposed on May 15 despite improving lake levels.

In an exclusive response to mid-day, Bhide outlined the BMC's plan to implement its 'Pedestrian First' campaign in a mission-mode approach. The first phase will focus on clearing encroachments from 320 km of footpaths, followed by the removal of unauthorised hawkers and other obstructions to create safer, uninterrupted pedestrian corridors.