Footpath or valet zone? Khar hotel accused of blocking public pathway

A public footpath just 100 metres west of Khar railway station has allegedly been used as a private parking space for over six months denying pedestrians their rightful pathway The alleged encroacher is the Unicontinental hotel which runs a list of popular places at the property including The Habitat and Hotel Samrat According to the locals the issue has been reported to BMC traffic police and the local police multiple times but occasional penal action doesnrsquot deter the hotel from parking vehicles on the footpathSpot checkmidday visited the spot on Wednesday and Thursday The footpath ahead of the hotel entry gate was blocked for pedestrians due to a private parking arrangement benches and a flagpoleStreet dwellers occupy the footpath further restricting accessThe entire stretch of the footpath which is adjacent to the Hotel Unicontinental building is also visibly narrower as compared to its usual width hinting at the possibility that the hotel structure might have encroached out onto the footpath beyond its boundary Pedestrians were seen unable to access the footpath while the private property treated the footpath as its own premises with cars parkedPast civic actionA flagpole blocks the footpath outside the the Unicontinental hotelThe hotel had won sympathy from many netizens last year after a political mob vandalised its premises and civic authorities took action against its unauthorised structure mdash a move many netizens saw as political revenge for jokes made about a prominent politician by a comedian during a show on the premisesCommuter SpeakNeha Juneja Khar residentlsquoI have been flagging this issue for months but the hotel still continues to park on the footpath Itrsquos been three years since they started this Members of the Khar Citizens Collective inform the BMC police and traffic department regularlyWe often click photos and send them to the traffic police but I doubt they take any action and even if they did the hotel continues to park here One time the hotel staff snatched my phone and tried to intimidate me while I was clicking photos of the illegal parkingI have registered a noncognisable complaint at the Khar police station in that incident A few months back I saw children from a nearby school get injured while navigating the parked vehiclesrsquoAmol Sonawane Works at KharlsquoI have my office in Khar West so I pass this spot daily I have noticed parked vehicles blocking the footpath for the last three years On most days one to two cars are always parked here Apart from this blockade the arearsquos footpaths in general arenrsquot very usable Occasional action by the authorities does not resolve the issue Things go back to the way they werersquoAnuj Gautam Santacruz residentlsquoI often visit this area with friends I think this place was renovated two years ago and thatrsquos when they made this parking arrangement on the footpath I have been seeing this since thenrsquoOfficial SpeakDinesh Pallewad assistant municipal commissioner H West wardlsquoI wasnrsquot aware of this issue We will inspect the site for encroachment and take action The authority regarding vehicles though rests with the traffic policersquoA bench installed by the hotel illegally PICSARTHAK MEHTAAn H West ward officiallsquoThis is a clear encroachment of a public footpath We will plan an antiencroachment drive in the area and have the issue resolved within this weekrsquoDr Dipali Dhate deputy commissioner of police traffic headquarters amp centrallsquoI wasnrsquot in the loop about the locals flagging this issue to the traffic police I will check the specifics about the hotel and ensure that daily action is taken against vehicles illegally parked on the footpath Nobody is allowed to park at public placesrsquoNo response from hotelmidday contacted Unicontinental via its website WhatsApp number and email seeking its response on the allegations but received no response at the time of going to pressLetter to Zone IX DCPldquoWhen the public requests that the footpath be cleared representatives of the hotel threaten and intimidate pedestriansrdquo the Khar Citizens Collective alleged in a letter to the DCP of Zone IX12No of cars always seen parked at the spot