BMC Realigns Khar West Road Signboard Installed in Middle of Footpath
Civic authorities on Sunday realigned a newly installed road signboard that had been placed directly in the middle of a footpath at the junction of 15th Road in Khar West, following widespread public criticism over the obstruction of pedestrian movement.
The placement of the signboard had sparked outrage among pedestrians and local residents, who questioned how civic authorities approved the work. An X user, @drifteternal_, flagged the issue online, slamming the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration and questioning the official approval process.
Citizens also pointed out contradictions with the BMC's newly launched Pedestrian First campaign. "What is the use of a footpath if citizens are prevented from using it due to obstructions on it?" said Khar resident Surendra Khubchandani.
An official from the BMC's H-West ward attributed the blunder directly to the contractor handling the project. The official explained that work had been carried out on the road as part of citywide concretisation works last year, but the signboard itself was erected by the contractor about a month and a half ago.
"It is a mistake on the contractor’s part. It should not have installed the signage in this manner. As soon as the issue was brought to our notice, we reinstalled it," the H-West ward official stated.
Similar footpath obstructions have drawn criticism in Mumbai recently. In April, officials from the BMC's P-South ward removed a board displaying the name of a chowk after it had been placed diagonally on a footpath in Goregaon West, which also triggered intense flak.
Following that episode, Civic Commissioner Ashwini Bhide advised all ward-level teams to be sensitive to public convenience and to adhere to standard operating protocols. Under the Pedestrian First initiative, the BMC aims to free the city's pavements of all obstructions, with plans to remove encroachments across 320 kilometres of footpaths in its initial phase.
