BMC scraps footpath parking exceptions in new pedestrian-first push

The Story in Brief

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has modified its 2023 Universal Footpath Policy to drop provisions that allowed temporary parking and structures on footpaths in isolated cases with official permission. The changes accompany the 'Pedestrian First' campaign launched this week to clear all encroachments from Mumbai's pavements. The earlier policy permitted vehicle parking for up to 15 days with written reasons and municipal commissioner approval, and allowed temporary structures with a minimum 1.5m pedestrian passage. Both clauses have now been omitted.

The new guidelines designate vending stalls, hawkers, utility boxes, and parked vehicles as 'common but undesirable features' that make footpaths inaccessible. They assign responsibility to licence and encroachment officials for removing unauthorised structures and enforcing a zero-tolerance stance on shopkeepers displaying goods on pavements. BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide inspected high-footfall areas in Andheri West and Goregaon on Thursday. Phase 1 of the campaign will cover 320km of footpaths, with priority given to the S V Road-Ram Ganesh Gadkari Marg stretch leading to Cooper Hospital.