The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has launched a city-wide drive to remove encroachments and other obstructions from footpaths, following the Supreme Court's recent recognition of obstruction-free footpaths as a right of citizens.

NMMC Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde personally inspected the ongoing action in Vashi and Nerul on Monday, signalling that the civic body plans to continue the exercise rather than treat it as a routine anti-encroachment operation.