Vanishing sidewalks: the changing face of Hyderabad

25 Aug, 2012 08:07 IST|Sakshi
Vanishing sidewalks: the changing face of Hyderabad

The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are probably among the most pedestrian unfriendly cities in the country. There are simply no sidewalks left—most of them have been encroached upon by offices, shops, vendors, hawkers and house-owners. As a result, a pedestrian is compelled to walk on the road exposing himself to the danger of being struck down by fast-moving bikes, cars or buses.

The alarming rise in the deaths of pedestrians in the twin cities is a pointer to this. On some roads such as the flyover on the Khairatabad level crossing and the Fatehnagar flyover, bikers get on to footpaths to zip past other bikes or cars making it virtually impossible for anyone to walk.
The other side to it is that the space for vehicular traffic gets narrower when pedestrians step on to the roads on both sides. Assuming an arterial road is twenty feet wide, pedestrians today use up at least two feet on either side, reducing the space for buses, cars and bikes to sixteen feet or less.
The government, meanwhile seems to be blissfully indifferent to this problem. The GHMC is not unaware of the encroachments on footpaths everywhere. Most of the time, officials turn a blind eye to this problem or are 'managed' by shopkeepers and others. In the battle between vested interests and the common public in the twin cities, we know who is likely to emerge a clear winner. The common man always finds himself at the receiving end of  governmental inaction and the case of vanishing sidewalks is no different.
Old-timers recall that in the fifties and sixties, the sidewalks were very much there and earmarked for pedestrians. Encroachments were frowned upon and shopkeepers for instance, would bow to the protests of passers-by. For those who were building houses back then, occupying sidewalks was simply unthinkable. There was a sense of social responsibility that prevented you from denying the right to walk to pedestrians. Secondly, the government did not let sleeping dogs lie.
With the passage of time, the GHMC has not been able to keep pace with the growing needs of a burgeoning population. This extends to all realms of governance within the jurisdiction of the municipal authorities—urban planning, road widening, maintenance of streets and streetlights, garbage collection, waste disposal and lastly prevention of encroachment. Rampant corruption has certainly not helped the cause. Political interference has only made matters worse. The odd upright bureaucrat has had to stand up to tremendous political pressure. Little wonder then, that such  officers find themselves in the doghouse very soon and become  victims of frequent transfers.
One just needs to step out into any street to discover for oneself how unsafe it is to walk in public in Hyderabad.  Either they are so filthy that one is forced to walk on the road or one finds that they are encroached upon with no space left for the lay pedestrian. In both instances the common man, who scrupulously pays his taxes, stands to lose and not infrequently, has to pay with his life.

yesat@sakshipost

 

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