mid-day impact: Mumbai's Khar Road footpath freed after hotel’s alleged illegal parking setup

A public footpath near Khar Road railway station that had allegedly been blocked for months by a hotelrsquos private parking setup was cleared after a midday report exposing the encroachment prompting residents to demand a wider probe into possible structural violationsThe footpath outside Hotel UniContinental allegedly blocked by parked vehicles and structures on May 21 before civic actionThe stretch outside Hotel Unicontinental in Khar West located around 100 metres from the station and just 250 metres from the BMC ward office had allegedly remained inaccessible to pedestrians for over six months due to parked vehicles benches a flagpole and large plant pots placed on the footpathFollowing the report published on Saturday morning BMC and traffic police removed the encroaching structures and towed illegally parked vehicles restoring pedestrian access to the footpath by MondayResidents alleged that people who earlier questioned the hotelrsquos parking arrangement were intimidated In a letter to the DCP of Zone 9 Khar Citizens Collective claimed pedestrians were allegedly threatened when they requested the footpath be clearedBenches parked vehicles and structures occupying pedestrian space outside Hotel UniContinental on May 21 before the antiencroachment drivemidday spot checkWednesday and Thursdaygtgt Footpath blocked by hotel parking arrangementgtgt Benches flagpole and plant pots occupied pedestrian spacegtgt Cars parked on the public footpathgtgt Pedestrians forced to walk on the roadMondaygtgt Footpath fully accessiblegtgt Encroaching structures removedgtgt Vehicles absent from the footpathgtgt Traffic movement is smootherTraffic movement near Khar Road station improved after BMC and traffic police cleared the allegedly encroached footpath outside Hotel UniContinental picsSatej ShindeVoicesPranay Shelar 26 works in KharldquoI have seen hotel vehicles parked on this footpath for the last 23 years I have never seen this stretch this clear beforerdquoRajesh Thungalaya commuter and RTI activistldquoBMC officials should also verify whether the hotelrsquos structure matches its approved plan Some visible structures covering the open space appear unauthorised and could pose a fire hazardrdquoNeha Juneja works near the hotelldquoThe footpath outside Hotel UniContinental was not just an inconvenience it was a hazard Daily commuters heading to Khar station were forced into traffic especially during heat and monsoon conditionsrdquo Government employee ldquoI have noticed that the footpath has remained clear of parked vehicles for the last 23 daysrdquoOfficial speakDinesh Pallewad assistant commissioner H West WardldquoWe have cleared the encroachment and seized all unauthorised items placed at the spot Concerns regarding the footpath width will also be examined soonrdquoSubhash Shinde senior PI Bandra trafficldquoOur staff including PI Dattatray Kolhekar and API Bhojne are continuously patrolling the area Illegally parked vehicles are being fined and towed On Friday offences were registered against four vehicles under Section 285 of the BNS Three fourwheelers were fined and four twowheelers were towed We plan to increase enforcement to make illegal parking unfeasiblerdquo