BMC 'Pedestrian First' drive: Mumbai civic body chief inspects footpaths in Mulund, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, and Ghatkopar

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC as part of its Mumbai Pedestrian First drive has stepped up efforts to make areas around railway stations in the eastern suburbs more pedestrianfriendly with Commissioner Ashwini Bhide directing officials to prepare detailed plans for footpath and traffic management particularly during peak hoursBhide issued the directions during a more than threehour inspection of ongoing lsquoPedestrian Firstrsquo and Garbage Vulnerable Point GVP elimination initiatives in Mulund Bhandup Kanjurmarg and Ghatkopar on ThursdayUnder the civic bodyrsquos Accessible Footpath Policy the BMC is working to prioritise pedestrian movement around railway stations Bhide said a dedicated administrative policy for station areas should be prepared to ensure coordinated planning of footpaths and road trafficThe move is aimed at easing pedestrian movement during peak hours while improving traffic flow and accessibility around busy railway stations13 roads in Mulund taken up under Pedestrian First campaignIn T Ward 13 roads have been identified under the lsquoPedestrian Firstrsquo campaign with efforts underway to remove encroachments from footpathsBhide inspected the footpaths along Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road in Mulund West which sees significant daily movement of officegoers and college studentsShe directed officials to coordinate with the engineering department to address utilityrelated obstacles and make the footpaths more convenient for pedestriansOfficials were also asked to identify stretches where the campaign can be implemented effectivelyThe commissioner further instructed civic officials to take strict action against hawkers operating beyond the area permitted under their licences94 shopkeepers in Bhandup to get alternative spacesAt Bhandup West Railway Station Bhide directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for footpath and traffic management including measures to ensure smooth movement of BEST buses and other vehiclesThe BMC plans to provide alternative spaces to 94 shopkeepers in the station area The move is expected to free up footpath space and provide commuters with unobstructed access to the railway station24 shops to be removed near Kanjurmarg stationOn the western side of Kanjurmarg Railway Station 24 shops will be removed to make the surrounding area accessible to pedestriansBhide directed officials to provide alternative spaces to the affected shopkeepers and rehabilitate them while clearing the footpathsThe BMC will also remove 26 shops at Bhattipada Junction on Lal Bahadur Shastri Road and 27 shops at Peppermint Chawl in the second phaseUnder S Ward approximately 2050 km of footpaths across 14 roads are planned to be made available for pedestrian useGhatkopar to get 3 km of encroachmentfree footpathsIn N Ward Bhide inspected footpaths around Shivaji Technical School in Pantnagar GhatkoparThe civic body has planned an encroachment removal drive across five roads in the area Footpaths along Shraddhanand Road Jhunjhunwala Road Ankush Gawde Road and Harishchandra Desai Road among others will be clearedThe exercise is expected to make around 3 km of footpaths available to pedestriansBhide instructed officials to immediately clear unauthorised hawkers encroachments and other obstructions from footpaths She also called for measures to improve beautify and enhance pedestrian safetyBMC steps up action against garbage vulnerable pointsThe commissioner also reviewed the civic bodys efforts to eliminate garbage vulnerable points in the eastern suburbsBhide directed officials to ensure regular cleaning at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Road in Mulund West and the Badwaik Hospital area in BhandupWaste collection agencies have been instructed to conduct regular doortodoor collection while residents have been urged to dispose of waste only at designated locationsThe BMC will also impose fines on those dumping waste on roads and use CCTV cameras to monitor vulnerable spots Waste collection vehicles will be deployed regularly to prevent fresh dumpingBhandup garbage hotspot becomes model for GVP eliminationThe Badwaik Hospital area had emerged as a persistent garbage dumping spot with commercial establishments and residents disposing of various types of waste on the roadThe waste included aluminium furniture mattresses sanitary products dry fruits and hospital wasteAs part of the intervention waste collection vehicles were deployed according to the type of waste generated by commercial establishmentsCollection teams also began visiting commercial premises while garbage bins were placed at designated locationsBin attendants were deployed in three shifts to guide residents and commercial establishments on waste disposal and collectionThe civic body first conducted a 15day awareness and counselling drive followed by another 15 days of regular and systematic waste collectionThe initiative subsequently helped eliminate the garbagevulnerable point and provided relief to residents and commuters using the nearby bus stopBhide praised the S Ward Solid Waste Management team for the initiative and directed officials to present the Bhandup model to other civic wards for possible replicationSenior civic officials including Deputy Municipal Commissioners Prashant Gaikwad Kiran Dighavkar and Santoshkumar Dhonde and Assistant Commissioners Yogita Kolhe Samreen Syed and Jaideep More were present during the inspection