After ‘pedestrian first’ row, BMC faces fresh pushback on demolition drive in Mumbai

Mumbai's civic administration is facing renewed criticism over its plan to demolish illegal structures and encroachments, raising concerns among elected representatives who claim they were not adequately consulted. A standing committee meeting revealed that corporators from various parties expressed worries about the basis for the shortlisting of structures for demolition and questioned the fairness to marginalized communities whose houses are set to be razed.

The controversy stems from the "pedestrian first" policy, an initiative aimed at reclaiming footpaths by removing illegal encroachments, which now faces pushback from those affected. In response to the controversy, the civic chief, Ashwini Bhide, received a letter from BJP corporator Ganesh Khankar seeking a rollback of the demolition plan.