BMC Clears Encroachments Along SV Road in K West Ward Drive
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday conducted a special enforcement drive along Swami Vivekanand Road, spanning the stretch from Milan Subway to V.M. Marg Junction in the K/West Ward, to clear encroachments and restore pedestrian walkways.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner (Division 4) Dr Bhagyashree Kapse and Assistant Commissioner Chakrapani Alle, involving officials and personnel from multiple civic departments.
During the drive, civic teams removed unauthorised hawkers occupying footpaths, illegal ramps, construction materials, and accumulated waste. A JCB machine was deployed to demolish unauthorized structures and clear obstructions that hindered accessible and barrier-free movement for pedestrians.
The action on SV Road is part of the BMC's ongoing 'Pedestrian First' campaign, which aims to make roads and footpaths safer and more accessible across Mumbai.
As part of the wider initiative, the civic body has also intensified pedestrian accessibility measures across the eastern suburbs, focusing particularly on areas surrounding railway stations. Under this plan, 13 roads have been identified in Mulund, while 94 hawking stalls outside Bhandup railway station and 77 stalls outside Kanjurmarg railway station are slated for relocation.
In total, around 20.50 kilometres of footpaths across 14 roads in S Ward are scheduled to be upgraded for pedestrian safety. In T Ward, 13 roads have been designated for footpath clearance and ongoing encroachment removal to ensure uninterrupted pedestrian corridors.
The expanded measures follow three-hour-long ground inspections conducted last week in civic T, S, and N wards, during which Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide instructed officials to formulate comprehensive plans to upgrade pedestrian infrastructure and manage peak-hour traffic around railway stations in Mulund, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, and Ghatkopar.
