BMC Clears 134 Footpaths but Hawkers Return to Mohammed Ali Road, Nakhuda Mohallah

Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation asserting that 134 out of 200 footpaths have been cleared in its initial anti-encroachment phase, pedestrian pathways in areas including Mohammed Ali Road and Nakhuda Mohallah near Pydhonie remain heavily obstructed.

According to resident complaints, stretches along Mohammed Ali Road were reoccupied by hawkers within days of being cleared by civic authorities. In Nakhuda Mohallah near Pydhonie, the situation is reported to be worse, with the area never having been cleared. The entire roadway, rather than just the footpath, remains occupied on both sides by hawkers and shop owners, leaving no passage for pedestrians or vehicles.

Residents noted that the civic body has failed to conduct follow-up surveys on the footpaths it claimed to have cleared. The lack of sustained enforcement and an absence of adequate cooperation from the police have left the clearance measures temporary and ineffective.

The encroached footpaths are part of wider civic grievances raised across Mumbai, which include prolonged road repairs, damaged bus stops, unsafe manholes, and redevelopment delays. The BMC has addressed several complaints by promising remedial action or outlining jurisdictional limits.

In addition to footpath encroachments, residents highlighted risks caused by protracted road and underground repair projects carried out by the BMC and its contractors. Unfinished works continue to block road sections across the city for indefinite periods, forcing pedestrians and motorists to navigate hazardous blockades and prompting demands for the civic body to establish strict completion timeframes.