Bhushan Gagrani, the municipal commissioner of Mumbai, has admitted that the city’s walkability infrastructure is woefully inadequate and urgently needs to be improved, especially in the suburbs. Gagrani acknowledged during his remarks at the Walkable Cities: Mumbai Conclave 2025 on Friday that although South Mumbai has comparatively superior pedestrian infrastructure, many suburban neighbourhoods still lack adequate or even simple walkways.
He emphasised the civic body’s dedication to enhancing pedestrian conditions by saying, “We recognise the problem and are making efforts to upgrade existing facilities and create new ones where none exist.”
The conclave, focused on building a pedestrian-friendly and sustainable Mumbai, brought together civic leaders, urban planners, and activists. Rishi Agarwal, founder of the Walking Project, highlighted the disparity in walkability across the city, particularly along the 23-km-long S V Road stretch from Bandra to Dahisar, which continues to face challenges despite being a major arterial road.
Gagrani noted that the issue isn’t limited to the presence or absence of pavements, but extends to the broader walking ecosystem—covering safety, accessibility, comfort, and urban design. With Mumbai’s ongoing road concretisation projects, the commissioner assured that newly built roads would also feature improved and more usable footpaths. He also emphasized the difficulties of road maintenance in the city due to intense monsoons and the fact that 40% of Mumbai’s land is reclaimed, which complicates infrastructure upgrades.
However, the commissioner stressed that infrastructure alone cannot solve Mumbai’s walkability woes. Encroachments by hawkers continue to choke footpaths citywide. “Every day, 10,000 of our staff work on clearing hawkers, and every day they return. This is not just an enforcement problem—it requires public participation,” Gagrani said. He urged Mumbaikars to stop purchasing from hawkers in no-hawking zones, stating that such collective action could lead to lasting change.
Appreciating the civic engagement initiatives around walkability, Gagrani welcomed both policy-level and hyperlocal suggestions from citizens. “Let’s work together so every Mumbaikar gets the walkable city they deserve,” he concluded.
At the same time, a high-level conference was held at BMC headquarters to discuss ongoing road construction. Gagrani instructed contractors to finish all concrete road projects by May 31 or face severe penalties, and he made it clear to road department officials that no compromise on road quality would be accepted.
Source: The Times Of India
