Multi-crore expenditure on construction of pavements in the national Capital in recent times is literally going down the drain. Just over three years ago in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, these sidewalks were constructed in keeping with the aesthetics of the city.
But these facilities are lying in a state of abject neglect and crumbling in the absence of adequate maintenance. Not only are these pavements disappearing but they have put brakes on construction of disabled friendly ‘kerb ramps’ and ‘tactile paths’ as prescribed by the Government guidelines. Crores of public exchequer was spent on rebuilding footpaths in order to give Delhi a world-class look ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Ranked amongst the world’s top 10 most expensive commercial hubs, Connaught Place too is far from being pedestrian friendly. With an average daily floating footfall of over 5 lakh, pedestrians in several stretches are forced to walk on the roads due to a total takeover by hawkers. “Taking the road next to Palika Bazaar is a big headache. First, there is no footpath to walk on. Secondly, the road is dirtied so badly by hawkers that one has to walk extra carefully,” said Pulkit Grover, a PR professional.
“Pedestrians are left with no option but to risk their lives on motorways as the pavements are unwalkable due to open drains, broken tiles and heaps of garbage dumped on them,” said Rajinder Hans, a Government official. Street design guidelines issued by Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) clearly states that the height of a footpath cannot exceed six inches; the footpaths must have a ramp of the slope 1:12 and must have tactile paving both at the beginning and along the footpath. But, none of this seems to have been reflected in the actual layout. Footpaths in Mayur Vihar Phase III and Kirti Nagar clearly exceed the six inches limit making it tough for people, especially senior citizens, to get on and off them. Slopes or stairs at the end of pedestrian stretches is absent almost everywhere. Such sites are common in East Delhi’s Jagatpuri, Krishna Nagar, Preet Vihar and laxmi Nagar.
At several locations, tactile paving (yellow footpath tiles that act as warning and guiding blocks for the visually impaired) are missing. If this was not enough, access ramps are either missing, too steep or replaced with steps that cannot be used by those on wheelchair.
Sidewalks sidelined
It is not just the civic bodies to be blamed for the mess on pavements, but the residents as well. For many such residents, pavements are not meant for pedestrians, but for parking their vehicles. As a result, the entire stretches of the sidewalks are packed with vehicles forcing pedestrians to juggle with speedy traffic. The sight is common at West Delhi’s Karol Bagh, Hari Nagar, Janakpuri, Subhash Nagar, Tilak Nagar and Wazirpur where pavements are only for parking vehicles. In fact, posh areas in South Delhi too bear the same sight. These include Malviya Nagar and Vasant Vihar.
When the officials of the road owning agencies were confronted, they callously put the blame on each other. “Several roads were earlier with the municipal corporations. The MCD had constructed high drains on many roads, and the footpaths have to be built on top of that. As a result, people find many footpaths high,” said an official in the Public Works Department (PWD).