BMC begins redevelopment work of footpaths in Sobo
MUMBAI: In a bid to improve the city’s walkability spaces and to make its existing footpaths pedestrian-friendly, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) kick-started the restoration of footpaths in two heritage precinct areas in South Mumbai.
As part of this project, the BMC is set to improve a 3.5-kilometer stretch which will cover the Churchgate Pedestrian Plaza, The Regal Traffic node, and the footpaths in the Metro Junction.
The BMC will install road signages, add furniture, and modernised bus shelters on the footpaths. Civic officials added, that illegal encroachments will be completely removed, and the entire periphery will be decluttered. “The new footpaths will be uniform and long-lasting. The level of footpaths will also be merged with the main carriageway of the road so that it becomes wheelchair-friendly,” said a senior official. The project was proposed by the BMC last year. The officials said that the maintenance of paver block footpaths is higher when compared to the ones that were made with concrete. “The paver blocks get detached easily which makes the surface uneven. These footpaths will be long-lasting and have been designed in a way to promote universal accessibility,” the officials said. On Monday, guardian minister of Mumbai Aaditya Thackeray, visited the site.
He tweeted, “To enhance ease of mobility in one of the busiest locations in Mumbai, laid the foundation for developing a pedestrian plaza near Churchgate station. This multi-modal pedestrian-friendly area will serve over 30 lakh Mumbaikars daily.”
BMC to open 24 libraries in civic gardens
The BMC Garden department on Tuesday inaugurated a library at the Cooperage Bandstand Garden in Colaba on Tuesday. In the next one month, the garden cell of the BMC has decided to open 24 libraries in 24 civic gardens in several municipal wards.