Mumbai footpaths unsafe for the elderly: civic chief

Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Wednesday said he feels "anxious and scared" to take his elderly parents out for a walk as the city's footpaths are unsafe. Mehta, who spoke at the Mumbai Press Club on his vision of making Mumbai a world class city, urged the assistant commissioners of all 24 civic wards to take their elderly family members for a walk to understand the gravity of the situation, in order to come up with a solution.

"Mumbai's footpaths are poorly maintained. I hesitate to take my 92-year-old father and 88-year-old mother out for a walk, even if they request me to. I have urged the assistant commissioners of all wards to take stock of the situation, and do something about it," said Mehta. "BMC plans to occupy the stretch on Hazarimal Somani Road in South Mumbai, just outside Bombay Gymkhana, and turn it into a pedestrian plaza," he said.