Vendors & cars usurp 70% of city footpaths

By Swati Reddy

Motorist curse them. Even maim or kill them for walking on roads. In fact, more than 1,000 of 1,989 people killed in road accidents in the Capital in 2008 were pedestrians.

If not on roads, then where do pedestrians, pushed off the footpaths by illegal squatters in the Capital, walk? It’s about time they reclaim the space that is rightfully theirs: the footpaths.

Hyderabadis are forced to walk on roads with footpaths taken over by vendors and squatters and cars parked illegally.

The police say removing the encroachers is the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)’ s job. And what about vehicles parked illegally? The police say they do not have enough staff to tow away such vehicles. Plus, the fine is so low it does not act as a deterrent, they add.

The GHMC, however, says illegal vendors and squatters invade footpaths by greasing the palms of the police.

The Capital has 800 km footpath space in GHMC-administered areas, taken over mostly by squatters and parked cars.

Officials say 50 per cent of the footpaths have been encroached and another 20 per cent blocked by parked vehicles.

No wonder, Hyderabadis believe the city has no footpaths. This is true of not just congested areas but also of posh South Delhi.

“ We are forced to walk on roads.

What else can we do? The footpaths have been taken over by vendors,” said Sohail Khan of Abids area.

An RTI (Right to Information) application filed by another resident of Banjara Hills demanding squatters be removed has been of little help.

“I filed the application two months ago to know why encroachments on footpaths were not removed regularly. I got no satisfactory reply. The police and the GHMC are hand in glove,” said Gulshan Singh.

Residents said the situation is so bad they are afraid to send their children out alone. “ It’s not possible. They can meet with accidents,” said Amit Aggarwal of Oldcity area.

Complaints of footpaths having been encroached by shops or labourers abound. Take for example the Basheerbagh.

The road has almost been taken over by labourers employed at construction sites nearby.

Across the city, many footpaths are used as urinals. “ For our own hygiene we have to walk on roads,” said Mahesh Kapoor of Defence Colony in Kanchanbagh.

The colony’s residents have complained several times, drawing the standard response. “ The authorities told us let the assembly elections get over. One month later, nothing has changed,” Kapoor added.

GHMC officials insist they remove encroachments regularly and blamed the Hyderabad Police. “ The High Court has ordered station house officers to keep an eye on squatters. We remove encroachers and it is the job of the police to ensure they do not come back,” said GHMC commissioner.

Reacting to the charge, joint commissioner of Delhi traffic police said, “ Removing illegal structures is the job of the GHMC. The police can only seize movable properties.

As far as illegal parking on footpaths is concerned, we don’t have enough manpower to stop it. We are enhancing our towaway fleet.” Another senior police officer said penalising vehicles was not the solution as the fine is too low.

“ If someone parks at an unauthorised place repeatedly, the probability is his vehicle will be towed away only once and he will get away with a fine of Rs 100.

The fine should be high,” he said.

Residents across the Capital feel both GHMC officials and traffic policemen are hand- in- glove and look the other way to squatters and motorists who park their cars on footpaths. The residents feel the authorities allow the footpaths to be encroached in return for bribes. The antiencroachment drives are an eyewash, they say.