Pavements in several areas of Puducherry have been totally encroached on by roadside hotels and food joints leaving little or no space for people to use any of the pathways. While lack of pavements on several arterial roads is already proving to be a problem, protecting whatever little infrastructure is available is now turning out to be a daunting task with the authorities turning a blind eye to the rampant encroachments.
A visit around the city showed that most of the footpaths and pavements are occupied by two-wheelers, food joints, vendors, tea stalls extending their stands, signboards, and generators kept by shopkeepers, mannequins.
For instance, on Jawaharlal Nehru Street, Bussy Street and S.V. Patel Salai, encroachments are rampant. Though a number of shops on J.N. Street are rented out by the Puducherry Municipality, the shopkeepers and business establishments have extended their shops on to the road completely occupying them. Several shops have used the pavements for storing their goods taking away their primary utility.
A woman walking on the road due to lack of space on the footpath. | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
At S.V. Patel Salai and Bussy Street, food joints have spread out chairs and tables on pavements. Though most of the eateries and establishments functioned from their own premises they continue to occupy the pavements. Many residential-cum-commercial areas are facing this problem, including Reddiyarpalayam, Anna Salai and Kamaraj Salai, which are turning into food hubs.
According to S. Ayappan, a resident of Thattanchavady, “Walking on footpaths on J.N. Street and Mission Street is next to impossible. These roads have footpaths, but there is really no space to walk on them. On Mission Street, two-wheeler rental outlets have extended their business onto the footpath by using the space for parking vehicles.”
According to the guidelines of Indian Road Congress, roads with pedestrian traffic are supposed to have a footpath with a minimum of 1.5 metres. However, in Puducherry, the remaining footpaths have been taken over by shops and food joints.
The authorities seem to be completely oblivious to the encroachment, say residents.
According to Devangi Ramakrishnan, an Urban designer, “As per the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) report prepared by the Transport Department, only 10 % of Puducherry has footpaths and 90% of these are located in the Boulevard area. Encroachment by privileged sections of society on the city’s footpaths has restricted pedestrian movement to a great extent. These rampant violations by high profile defaulters, including government offices, has led to a vicious blame cycle paralysing any efforts towards removing the encroachments and restoration of footpaths.”
She added, “Puducherry is more suited for walking and cycling. Here, 27.7% of people walk to their destinations while 11% use the bicycle. Two-wheeler users account for 40% while cycle-rickshaws account for a mere 0.1 percent. About 42.2% of the residents use private transport to travel within the city while 57.8 % use public transport to commute within the city, according to the CMP report.”
“Residents of the city should be aware of the proposals by the government, ensure that all plans and proposals are made public for evaluation and consultation, and follow up on their timely implementation. The government should, on priority, create awareness and sensitivity towards the importance of safe and encroachment-free footpaths, making it easier for reclaiming them.”
An official said that though eviction drives were conducted from time to time, the encroachments reappeared after some months. “We will launch a crackdown,” he said.
