Richa PintoMumbai: Frustrated with recurring footpath encroachments and what they describe as a lack of sustained action under the BMC’s Pedestrians First initiative, residents of Breach Candy have devised a “BMC Footpath Report Card” in an attempt to put on record whether promised action is actually implemented on the ground.The initiative by members of the Breach Candy Residents Forum and Breach Candy ALM, representing more than 750 families, has been submitted to the municipal commissioner as a possible model for implementation across wards. The report card seeks to document the exact stretch affected, identify the problem, specify the action, the department assigned, and the target completion date. The form lists common pedestrian problems such as hawkers and kiosks blocking footpaths, parking, broken or uneven pavements, permanent structures, inadequate clear walking space, open drains, garbage and construction material, streetlights and other obstructions.A resident said that while they do appreciate the BMC for its ‘Pedestrians First initiative’, which was also a much-needed step for Mumbaikars, this needs to be a sustained activity.“At present, Bhulabhai Desai Road has virtually no usable footpath space. With new footpaths scheduled for construction from Oct 2026, their purpose will not be achieved unless encroachments are removed and adequate space is designated for licensed hawkers as per BMC guidelines. As responsible citizens, we have therefore prepared a BMC Footpath Report Card to document problems, assign responsibility, set timelines and verify action on the ground,” states the letter. For Bhulabhai Desai Road, residents have divided the stretch into specific sections — from Croma to the L&T site, L&T site to Cymroza Art Gallery, Cymroza to Anand Bhawan and Anand Bhawan to Swaminarayan Mandir, among others — so that pedestrian problems can be pinpointed to a particular stretch.A resident said that unless action taken against encroachments by the local BMC ward office is properly documented and submitted to senior authorities, there is no guarantee that the encroachments will not return.“Once the action taken is documented on paper and reported to the higher authorities, it creates accountability and makes it harder for the same encroachments to come back. There has to be a record of what action was taken, against whom and whether the encroachment was removed permanently,” the resident said.A civic official, however, said documentation was already part of the BMC’s process. “Whenever action is taken, photographs of the action are documented. Notices are also issued wherever required before taking action. So there is documentation at every stage. We are also making every effort to ensure that those against whom action has been taken do not return to the same spot and recreate the problem,” the official said.
