Make pavements encroachment free, orders BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta

In a move that would facilitate the pedestrians, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has ordered the officials to remove encroachments on the footpaths across the city.

In the order issued yesterday, Mehta has asked all the 24 ward offices in the city to make the footpaths free of encroachments by unauthorised hawkers, hotels, furniture shops, among others.

Confirming the move, Mehta told PTI, "Yes, I have issued an order to this effect and I feel with the support of citizens, we should be able to make a difference." A senior BMC officer said that ward officers have been instructed to prepare a list of encroachments on a priority.

"All the assistant commissioners of the 24 wards have been given a stern order to create an inventory of unauthorised structures on footpaths across the city and demolish them," the official added.

Another senior officer said, "Assistant commissioners will conduct a survey of illegal structures by keeping it's photograph as record and then chalk out a plan to remove them."
The survey will be carried out with the help of a special team formed by ward officers at each ward level, he added.

After the footpaths are cleared, the Additional Municipal Commissioners have to keep checking that there are no encroachments on the pavements again.

Welcoming BMC chief's order, RTI activist Anil Galgali, said, "Let's hope and do our bit to support Mehta to implement the decision, which no other BMC commissioner had taken.