The iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station holds the place of pride as the UNESCO adjudged A grade heritage sight. However, the footpaths around the iconic station are a walking hell for pedestrians. Footpaths, in CST, are either encroached, ill constructed and poorly maintained. DNA while taking a walk along this lanes met Satyaki Haldar a resident of Sion who travels from the suburb to CSMT everyday and explains that it is nothing short of an ordeal.
Satyaki Haldar, lives in Sion said"I walk from CST station to my office. Ideally it should take about 10 mins but it takes about 18-20 mins to reach to my office. The delay is mainly because there are people squating on the footpath. They have also placed their tents on the road."
The JJ flyover connects vehicular traffic from Byculla and Mumbai's suburbs to South Mumbai. Here, pedestrians jostle to cross the roads amid a heavy flow of cars, buses and two-wheelers.
Following GPO, we took the subway and went to the opposite road (towards Press Club of Mumbai) of the CST. Here too the road is populated with a large number of hawkers which makes walking really cumbersome.
"There are many food stalls on the road. Near to that is the Metro Site which has occupied the space. Besides the Metro site and the food stalls there is very little space left for pedestrians. I travel frequently to HR College in Churchgate however the walk has turned harder by each passing day. The footpaths are badly maintained and one can hurt themselves. Sometimes dirty water splashes from the tiles ruining my footwear and spoiling my mood," Alifiyah Bahrainwala, student and a resident of Sandhurst road. "Under section 314 of BMC Act if any type of encroachment happens, BMC reacts to it because the footpath is for the pedestrians. Whenever there is a notice of illegal encroachment we take action," said Kiran Dighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, BMC.
