Hyderabad: Where are the footpaths?

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) constructed footpaths in several areas but within no time petty traders, vegetable vendors, two-wheeler repairers have settled on them leaving no space for pedestrians.

In busy market areas, shop keepers have used the footpaths to park bicycles, scooters, sanitary items and other goods. Ramnarayan, a former banker and resident of Sainathpuram says, "In these parts of the city, there are many retired employees from Railways and ECIL. There is no way one can use the footpath and it is risky to walk as youngsters whiz past in bikes."

The GHMC has a road length of 9,100 km, of which 800 km are four-lane roads for which footpaths on both sides are mandatory. For the 1,600 km, the GHMC could build only about 430 km of pavements.

Not just vendors in some places, public toilets and commercial establishments make it impossible to use the footpath. Rakesh U P, a social activist says, "If people do not use the footpath for a certain period of time, it is a taken. The government spent crores in building them but become useless."

Another issue is the height of the footpath. As per the Indian Road Congress guidelines on footpaths, the ideal height should not exceed 150 mm but in many areas it is not resulting in hardship for the elderly and the young.