BMC Removes 15 Unauthorised Stalls in Byculla Under Pedestrian First Campaign

Of the 15 stalls removed, 13 were located on the footpath along the road from Mumbai Central railway station on the eastern side towards Nair Hospital, while two were situated on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road.

The civic body also found that 27 stallholders along the Mumbai Central-Nair Hospital route had occupied more space than the area allotted to them. Notices have been issued to all 27 stallholders.

As part of the drive, the BMC repaired tree basins around 21 trees located along the footpath near the Mumbai Central-Nair Hospital route. Branches of some trees were also pruned.

The campaign is being carried out across Mumbai under the guidance of BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, in accordance with directions of the Supreme Court, to remove unauthorised hawkers and encroachments from footpaths and make them obstruction-free.

The action in Byculla was carried out under the leadership of Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone 1) Chanda Jadhav and Assistant Commissioner Anand Kankal.

Under the campaign, the BMC improved and repaired footpaths covering around 260 metres along Dr Anand Rao Nair Road near Nair Hospital. The footpaths have an average width of 3.75 metres, of which an average width of 2.15 metres has been made available for free and continuous pedestrian movement. Thirteen unauthorised stalls were removed from this stretch.

The footpath is extensively used by patients, their relatives, hospital staff and other citizens due to its proximity to Nair Hospital.

The removal of unauthorised stalls and other obstructions has made more continuous space available for pedestrians and is expected to facilitate movement along the route.

The BMC also improved and repaired footpaths measuring around 435 metres along Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, connecting Byculla East railway station with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Central Railway Hospital and Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo.

The footpath has an average width of 3.25 metres, of which an average 1.50 metres has been made available as a walkable stretch. Two unauthorised stalls were removed from this location.

The Byculla action forms part of the BMC’s wider ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign, with the civic body focusing on clearing unauthorised stalls and encroachments while improving continuous pedestrian access across Mumbai.