The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has removed a chowk name board in Goregaon West after it was found obstructing pedestrian movement on a footpath. The action was taken on Sunday following a complaint raised by a citizen on social media.
The board, marking Tatyasaheb Joshi Chowk on M G Road in Unnat Nagar III, had been installed diagonally across the footpath, creating inconvenience for pedestrians. Responding to the issue, municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide acknowledged the lapse and confirmed corrective action. “The board obstructing pedestrian movement is removed. It should not have happened. However, the original proper board was shifted & wrongly placed during the reconstruction of the footpath. All ward level teams have been strictly advised to be sensitive to public convenience & follow SOP.”
Officials from the P-South ward stated that the board had been incorrectly positioned during footpath reconstruction work carried out around a year ago. The error went unnoticed until it was recently highlighted online.
Ajinkya Parulekar, a Borivli resident who flagged the issue on X, criticised the oversight. “It was glaringly obvious that the board was installed wrongly. Civic officials should be careful about following SOPs.”
Ward officer Aniruddha Kulkarni also acknowledged the mistake and assured further action to prevent similar occurrences. “The issue was brought to our notice on Saturday, and our ward removed the board on Sunday morning. We will carry out checks across the ward and remove any obstruction found on footpaths,” said Kulkarni.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the importance of proper planning and execution of civic works to ensure pedestrian safety and convenience in the city.
Source: The Times of India
