If all goes as per the plan, the civic body could vacate the slumdwellers encroaching upon the footpaths of 73 roads in the city by May-end.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to close its six-year-old Mahatma Gandhi Pathkranti Yojana, by achieving all its objectives. For this, the civic body will have to vacate slumdwellers from footpaths of 73 roads. Of the 6,417 hutments on these roads, 2,075 slumdwellers have been identified as being eligible for rehabilitation. They would be rehabilitated at the 2416 units received from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

Slum encroachments from footpaths of 72 roads have been cleared till January this year and 3,253 slumdwellers have been rehabilitated.

Rajendra Bhosale, deputy municipal commissioner (special), said, "Some repair work needs to be carried out in the properties handed over to us by the MMRDA. This could delay our work. But, we aim to complete it by May."

Under phase one that concluded in 2009, pavements of 20 main roads were cleared of slum encroachments. Pavements of 125 roads were to be cleared under the phase two. Till January, 52 roads have been cleared.