'First Day, First Hawkers': Mumbai's Newly Opened Bandra East Skywalk Encroached A Day After Inauguration, Netizens Slam Authorities

Mumbai: After nearly five years, a newly constructed skywalk connecting Bandra Railway Station (East) to Bandra Court, Bandra–Kurla Complex (BKC), MHADA and the District Collector’s Office was opened to the public on Republic Day, but within nearly 48 hours, it was already facing a familiar Mumbai problem: the hawker menace.

The skywalk was inaugurated on Monday by Maharashtra’s Minister for Information Technology and Cultural Affairs and Guardian Minister of Mumbai Suburban District, Ashish Shelar. However, even before commuters could fully benefit from the long-delayed infrastructure, hawkers had begun occupying the pedestrian-only space.

Activist Flags Hawker Menace Day After Inauguration

Activist Zoru Bhathena flagged the issue on social media after sharing photographs showing a hawker selling sunglasses on the newly opened skywalk. Posting the images on X in the early hours of Wednesday, Bhatena captioned it, “First Day First Hawkers,” triggering sharp reactions from citizens.

Netizens slammed civic authorities and enforcement agencies, accusing them of failing to protect public infrastructure. “Make no mistake Mumbaikars, these expensive structures are constructed purely with one objective in mind. Provide covered space for illegal hafta for police and BMC,” one user wrote.

Another said, “It’s people’s duty not to buy anything and ask whose permission you came.” A third sarcastically asked, “When did auctions and allotments happen?”

Not An Isolated Issue, But A Citywide Pattern

Several users pointed out that the issue is not isolated. “Santacruz West skywalk is completely taken over by hawkers, leaving no room for pedestrians. Almost every skywalk in Mumbai faces the same issue,” one comment read, highlighting a growing pattern across the city.

Features Of Newly Built Skywalk

The newly built skywalk is 680 metres long with an average width of 5.40 metres and is designed to ease pedestrian movement in one of Mumbai’s busiest office and judicial hubs. It features four staircases for access, two automated escalators and 14 CCTV cameras installed for safety and surveillance. Despite these measures, the rapid encroachment has raised questions about on-ground enforcement.

The previous Bandra East skywalk, constructed in 2008 and stretching 1.3 km, was dismantled in 2021 to facilitate the construction of the Kalanagar flyover arm leading towards BKC. The new skywalk was meant to restore safe pedestrian connectivity after years of inconvenience.

With hawkers already setting up shop after day one, commuters and activists are questioning whether the authorities will act swiftly or if the skywalk will go the way of many others in Mumbai, where space meant for pedestrians slowly disappears under unchecked encroachments.

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