Mumbai BMC Tightens Footpath Rules, Scraps Parking And Temporary Structure Exemptions

Mumbai, 8th August 2026: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has tightened its Universal Footpath Policy 2023 as part of its ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign, removing provisions that previously allowed temporary parking and temporary structures on footpaths in certain cases.

Under the revised guidelines, the civic body will focus on clearing footpaths of unauthorised structures, hawker stalls, ramps, vehicle parking and other obstructions. The drive will give priority to pedestrian pathways connecting railway and Metro stations, schools and colleges, hospitals, government offices, religious places and other high-footfall locations.

The BMC has also stated that authorised vendor stalls may be relocated or redesigned wherever legally feasible, with the aim of ensuring a clear walking space for pedestrians.

Earlier, the 2023 policy allowed temporary parking on footpaths for up to 15 days in rare and isolated cases, subject to written justification, approval from the Additional Municipal Commissioner and a minimum 1.2-metre passage for pedestrians. This exemption has now been removed.

Similarly, the provision permitting temporary structures with approval from senior civic officials, while maintaining a 1.5-metre pedestrian passage, has also been scrapped.

As part of the revised enforcement, licence and encroachment officials will be responsible for taking action against unauthorised structures and hawkers, preventing shops from extending goods onto footpaths and removing illegal banners, hoardings and advertisements.

The first phase of the campaign will target around 320 km of footpaths across Mumbai. In K-West ward, 27 roads out of 355 have been identified for action, covering around 37.7 km of pedestrian pathways.

The civic body has also given housing societies, commercial establishments and shop owners a one-month deadline to remove unauthorised ramps, platforms and other obstructions at their own cost. Failure to comply could lead to demolition and further action by the BMC.

The latest move comes as the civic body steps up efforts to make pedestrian spaces more accessible and reduce the number of obstructions forcing people to walk on roads.