The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Ernakulam District Collector to file a report on the condition of footpaths on major roads in the city.
Justice Devan Ramachandran issued the directive against the backdrop of a recent incident in which a woman had a narrow escape after slipping into an open drain.
When the case related to the bad condition of the road came up for hearing, the court observed that it had mooted ‘operation footpath’ (maintenance of footpath) several months ago. However, the authorities appeared to have taken it lightly, and the suggestion fell on deaf ears. “When we speak about roads, we do not speak about tarmac but about pedestrian areas, which are more important. Not only were the drains kept open but their construction was done in such a perfunctory manner that people did not know where to step on without falling into the drains. The Kochi Corporation and other stakeholders had a role to play,” the court said.
It observed that roads that could not be accessed by pedestrians could not even be subscribed to the definition of roads, going by the standards. That pedestrians cannot use roads safely is against the principles of urban planning. The safety of pedestrians must be considered paramount. However, it has been given the backseat, presumably because there is no collective voice. However, this could not be a reason for the authorities not to do what they are expected to do under constitutional and statutory laws. The citizens must come out with their collective voice against it, the court said.
The counsel for the Corporation submitted that the stretch on M.G. Road where the accident took place was owned by the Public Works department and maintained by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KRML). KMRL submitted that urgent measures were being taken to address the problem.
