Footpaths which are meant for pedestrians are fast turning into parking places and slots for traders in the State capital.
The local administration too seems to be failing to take necessary action to ensure that footpaths are used for the intended purpose.
When asked about this, District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam replied that dministration will soon take necessary action against this nuisance.
He said that he will instruct the SP Traffic of Dehradun to look into this matter and punish those found violating the regulations.
Places like Survey Chowk, Rajpur Road, and Clock Tower are some major areas where footpaths are generally used for parking.
Traders can also be seen putting their stalls at some footpaths like near Gandhi Park. The footpath outside the CPWD building near lansdowne Chowk has also been taken up by traders.
However, design of these footpaths are also not practical in many cases. Most of the footpaths in the city have electricity poles erected on them which create hurdle for pedestrians. Replying to this DM said that, in the last one year about 56 electric poles have been removed from the footpaths of Dehradun.
With footpaths being encroached upon, the pedestrians have become habituated on walking on the road which not only impedes smooth flow of traffic but also increases the risk of accidents.
Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli said that a footpath redesigning plan is in progress.
He said that Municipal Corporation of Dehradun along with Public Works Department and Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority will work together on this plan. MCD has made a footpath redesigning plan for Rajpur Road.
Chamoli informed that the plan would be executed in three parts. MCD will look after the construction of bus stops at Rajpur Road while the street lights will be handled by the MDDA and PWD would redesign the footpath.