In many areas of Puducherry, footpaths are completely occupied by roadside hotels and eateries, leaving little or no space for people to use any roads. While the lack of footpaths is already proving to be a problem on many main roads, protecting whatever infrastructure is available has now become a daunting task, as authorities turn a blind eye to the massive encroachments.
A trip around the city revealed that most of the footpaths and sidewalks are occupied by two-wheelers, food joints, vendors, tea shops with their stands, signboards and generators placed by shopkeepers, mannequins.
For example, encroachment on Jawaharlal Nehru Street, Bassi Street and SV Patel Salai is rampant. Although many shops on JN Street are rented out by the Puducherry Municipality, shopkeepers and business establishments have completely occupied their shops on the street. Many shops have used footpaths to store their goods, stripping them of their primary utility.
Woman walking on the road due to pavement space constraints. , photo credit: SS Kumar
Chairs and tables have been laid out on the pavement at SV Patel Salai and Bassi Street for food and drink. Although most of the eateries and establishments function from their own premises, they are still occupying the footpaths. Several residential-cum-commercial areas are facing this problem, including Reddyyarpalayam, Anna Salai and Kamaraj Salai, which are turning into food hubs.
Thattanchavadi resident S. According to Ayyappan, “It is almost impossible to walk on footpaths on JN Street and Mission Street. There are footpaths on these roads, but there is no space to walk on them. On Mission Street, two-wheeler rental outlets have extended their business to the sidewalks by using the space for parking vehicles.”
As per the guidelines of the Indian Road Congress, roads with foot traffic should have a footpath of at least 1.5 meters. However, the remaining footpaths in Puducherry have been taken over by shops and food shops.
Villagers say that the administration seems completely oblivious to the encroachment.
According to urban designer Devangi Ramakrishnan, “According to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) report prepared by the Department of Transport, only 10% of Puducherry has footpaths and 90% of these are located in the Boulevard area. Society privileges on the city’s footpaths. Encroachment by the receiving sections has restricted the movement of pedestrians to a great extent.These large-scale violations by high profile defaulters including government offices have given rise to a vicious cycle, requiring any efforts to remove encroachments and restore footpaths has been crippled.”
He said, “Puducherry is more suitable for walking and cycling. Here 27.7% people go to their destination on foot while 11% people use bicycle. The number of two-wheeler users is 40 per cent while the share of cycle-rickshaws is just 0.1 per cent. According to the CMP report, around 42.2% of residents use private transport to travel within the city, while 57.8% use public transport to commute within the city.
“City residents should be aware of proposals by the government, ensure that all plans and proposals are made public for evaluation and consultation, and follow up on their timely implementation. Priority to the government But awareness and sensitivity should be created about the importance of safe and encroachment free footpaths, which make them easy to retrieve.
An official said that though eviction drives were carried out from time to time, the encroachment reappeared after a few months. “We will initiate action,” he said.