Twitter
Advertisement

CST, Churchgate subways to be made hawker-free

The BMC's market department will begin issuing notices to the shopkeepers this week.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Walking might finally be a breeze through the busy CST and Churchgate subways. Putting to an end almost two-decade long hardship to the pedestrians, the Brihanmumbai municipal corporation (BMC), in an unprecedented move, decided to permanently shut down all shops inside the two subways.

The two subways are easily the busiest pedestrian subways in the city with lakhs of commuters passing through them every day. The decision to shut down and remove the shops, taken by BMC chief Ajoy Mehta recently, will make both the subways hawker-free, thereby almost doubling up the space to the walkers.

"The shopkeepers were given temporary licences to operate from the subways. They had a five-year agreement which was renewed once. We are now asking them to shut shop and move out. A lot of space will be created which will be added to the walking area. The two subways will be much cleaner and spacious without the shops," said a senior civic official.

The BMC's market department will begin issuing notices to the shopkeepers this week. The shopkeepers will be given some time to move out and the BMC will then revamp the subways once the shops are shut down.

Spanning over an area of about 3,000 sq.m, the subway outside CST serves as a key underground link for commuters from the Central and Harbour lines to major locations in Fort such as DN Road and Mahapalika Marg. The subway, since it was thrown open to the public in 1999, had come under criticism for overcrowding and unhygienic conditions, thanks to poor lighting and ventilation. Lack of space due to illegal hawking and illegal extensions by shops irked pedestrians.

According to civic officials, there are 51 shops in the subway at CST and 22 in Churchgate subway. The shops inside the Churchgate subway – which connects the western railway line to areas like Marine Line and Nariman Point – were rented out by the BMC in 1991.

"We will issue notices to the soon and ensure that they move out," said the official who disclosed that there was significant pressure from the shopkeepers on Mehta against shutting down the shops.
The BMC has also plans to revamp both the subways once the shops are cleared. In November 2013, then chief secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia had visited the subway at Churchgate. He then asked the BMC to start improving the condition of important subways to encourage more pedestrians to use them.

"We have plans to improve ventilation at the CST subway. They will be developed on the lines of the subway at Metro cine junction which is clean since there are no shops. We will then deploy security guards to ensure that there are no illegal hawkers and encroachers. Work on the Chruchgate subway has already begun," the official added.

As part of the revamp project, the civic body will install generators and fire-fighting equipment, better lighting conditions, and also fix leakages and other structural damage. It will install CCTV cameras as well.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement