Not just hawkers, but illegal parkers are depriving pedestrians of sidewalks

Not just hawkers but the space on Mumbairsquos footpaths is also gobbled up by a host of entitiesmdashhousing societies commercial complexes abandoned and parked vehicles garages eateries and even cityrsquos infrastructure projectsmdashdepriving pedestrians of the sidewalks This brazen encroachment happens in almost all corners of the cityrsquos suburbs The third part of our series lsquoNowhere to gorsquo focuses on citizensrsquo plight due to this lsquofreeforallrsquo state of affairsKurla resident Ajay Shukla points to an encroached footpath on CST Road PicSameer MarkandeAs part of its campaign to highlight the lack of pedestrian space in the city midday visited a few pockets in the central as well as western suburbs BMC spends about Rs 250 crore a year to maintain and beautify pavementsEateries eat up public spaceAnand Ruparelia Kandivli residentMahavir Nagar at Kandivli West is popular for its eateries While the food joints carry on with their brisk business daily it costs pedestrians dearly ldquoThese eateries cover half of the footpath and the rest is occupied by their customers Itrsquos tough to walk on the footpath here Every time I notice this type of encroachment I tweet and tag the BMC Civic authorities take action but the encroachers return within a few daysrdquo said Arun Gorule of Kandivli West ldquoOn the west side of the Kandivali railway station the footpath seems to be nonexistent One half of the space is taken over by shopkeepers and the other half by hawkersrdquo said Anand Ruparelia He added ldquoPedestrians even canrsquot think of walking on the road with children as it is very riskyrdquolsquoRamprsquo walk for citizensA ramp has been built on the footpath to facilitate vehicle movement on the 15th Road Khar West PicSameer MarkandeA lot of housing societies and office buildings have constructed ramplike structures as per their convenience to facilitate the movement of vehicles to and from their premises similar to this one at Khar It doesnrsquot matter if they create hurdles for walkers particularly the seniorsBikers park walkers payTwowheelers crowd the footpath under the Andheri Metro station PicAnurag AhireOne of the most important eastwest links the AndheriKurla Road has industrial and commercial establishments along the carriageway At Hanuman Nagar Chakala a slum pocket has expanded to the pavement while Metro stations have also taken away footpath space Below the Andheri Metro station vehicles have been parked on pavements leaving hardly any space for citizens to use the sidewalks Rajashree Shahu Maharaj Road which is the main approach road to the AndheriKurla Road has no footpaths at all midday came across many spots where shops have taken over the pavements by illegally extending their premises or stuffing the place with their wares Despite complaints nothing changes said a localScrap dealers rule hereThe sidewalk on the CST Road at Kurla has been completely taken over by scrap sellers PicSameer MarkandeA hub for used car parts the footpaths on the CST Road at Kurla West have been encroached by shops and scrap dealers Locals say they are forced to negotiate through the busy road Not just this stretch near Kurla station but a major part of LBS Road faces the same problem ldquoShopkeepers godown owners not only encroach upon the footpath they also damage the pathways which forces us to walk on the roadrdquo Kurla resident Ajay Shukla told middaylsquoAs if they own themrsquoPankaj Joshi town planning expert and principal director of Urban Centre MumbaiPankaj Joshi a town planning expert and the principal director of Urban Center Mumbai said ldquoShop owners and societies build ramps on pavements while restaurants block the sidewalks by placing potted plants and beautifying them to keep hawkers at bay With these the walkway becomes private property The establishments think they are the owners of the footpathrdquo Joshi said ramps on footpaths are mainly found in the suburbs where redevelopment of buildings is complicated ldquoIf the plinth level of a building is higher there is no option but to build a ramp Thatrsquos why they should be planned properly Another way to block footpaths is to use the cover of tree trunks The sum total is that the walker has to take the road to avoid all this and it defeats the basic purpose for which the footpath was builtrdquo he saidNo sign of pavementsThis stretch on GhatkoparAndheri Link Raod near Ghatkopar BEST depot has no footpath PicSameer MarkandeThis stretch of the GhatkoparAndheri Link Road has no pavements ldquoNo footpath was ever built on the road near Ghatkopar BEST bus depot Both sides of the road have been taken over by garage owners Senior citizens and children canrsquot think of walking here I never allow my parents to walk on this roadrdquo said local resident Mangesh LolgeRs 250crAmount spent by BMC to maintain footpaths annually