Mumbai footpath uprooted again as Santacruz residents protest civic chaos
For residents of Santacruz, the loss of yet another pedestrian walkway has reignited frustration over the city’s unending cycle of civic chaos. A freshly dismantled footpath, once a vital stretch for daily walkers, now lies buried under heaps of debris, concrete blocks, and sewage pipelines symbolising what locals call the city’s misplaced development priorities.
The pavement along Road No. 3, dug up for an ongoing sewage treatment project, has been left unusable for weeks. What angered residents further was the demolition of another footpath on adjoining Road No. 1, allegedly for road concreting. The two arterial lanes now have only one functioning walkway, forcing pedestrians to risk their lives by walking on the carriageway during peak traffic hours. Pedestrian safety compromised
The affected roads connect to the Western Express Highway and witness relentless vehicular flow. With vehicles speeding through narrow lanes, pedestrians especially the elderly, women, and schoolchildren find themselves navigating dangerously close to traffic. “This has turned into a daily hazard. Pedestrians are walking on the edge of speeding lanes without any buffer,” said a local civic activist.
Residents allege that the municipal authorities have been dismantling existing infrastructure without completing previous work. The lack of signage or project timelines, they say, only deepens the confusion. “There is no clarity on why the road is being redone when it was repaired recently. Authorities should finish drainage and footpath construction before concreting, but it’s the other way round,” said a local resident representative.
Urban planning concerns Urban experts argue that such uncoordinated civic projects reflect Mumbai’s larger planning deficit. They stress that pedestrian infrastructure an essential element of sustainable and equitable urban mobility continues to be deprioritised despite the city’s climate and congestion challenges. Poor coordination between departments leads to constant rework, waste of public funds, and increased carbon footprint due to repeated construction activity.The absence of footpaths near a soon-to-be functional municipal school has also sparked safety concerns. Once operational, the institution is expected to serve hundreds of students, yet no safe pedestrian access has been ensured. Urban planners highlight that neglecting school routes contradicts Mumbai’s commitment to creating safe, walkable neighbourhoods as part of its sustainable mobility goals.
Authorities promise restoration
Officials from the city’s municipal corporation have defended the move as part of ongoing civic improvement works. An engineer from the H-West Ward said that the footpaths had been temporarily removed and would be reconstructed after the project’s completion. However, residents remain sceptical, pointing to similar promises made in previous years that were never fulfilled.In a city already battling rising pollution and congestion, the continued neglect of pedestrian infrastructure undermines efforts to promote eco-friendly, inclusive urban living. For Santacruz residents, the missing footpaths are not just a civic inconvenience they symbolise a deeper disconnect between city planning and citizen well-being.
