As it Is

Exactly a month ago that additional chief secretary of the Urban Development department, TC Benjabin had pointed out the miserable condition of the city’s footpath in a hard hitting letter, also ordered to clear all encroachments on pavements to make then walk able for pedestrians. And the condition is as it was. It is also seems that Pune Municipal Corporation is in habit to keep all the things as it is and the encroachments are one of the thing.


After the hard hitting letter all footpaths are the same as it is in miserable condition and have occupied with Pune Municipal Corporation’s material at most of the place. Thought the Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Pathak claimed that around 591 km of footpaths are cleared during this month. The PMC had identified 2,078 obstacles on 26 km of footpaths that were damaged or encroached upon, municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak said recently, The drive resulted in the removal of 649 encroachments across the city.

Roadside vendors, tea and food stalls, and sugarcane juice vendors have eaten up walking space on pavements on Satara road, Bibvewadi, Kondhwa, Dhankawadi, Katraj, Sinhagad road and Karve road.

But the condition doesn’t seem like. Most of the pavements are given to the shop owners as a compensation of the land taken for road and other purpose. Such encroachments can be seen near the District Court near Shivajinagar. All the photocopy shops and legal advisors can be seen seating in the stall on footpath.

Also such occupied footpath can be seen exactly adjacent road after Dengale Bridge all the beggar have occupied the footpath along with Tapries the stretch from the Dengale Bridge to the Congress Bhaven can be seen either occupied with the juggies and illegal stalls. The busy road also has one of the major bus stop of the city called PMC bus stops which handles major commuters from the all over city. And pedestrian can be seen walking on the road with risk of being dashed by speeding vehicle especially bus.

A classic example of the encroached footpath can be seen on the laxmi road. The one side of the road is being marked for the pedestrians in spite having footpath (as all the footpaths are reserved for the small vendors) people are walking on the space provided on the road.

Every encroachment in the city counts one vote or we can say that encroachment is equal to the vote for the corporators. Situation on Fergusson college road and the situation in Wakad is not different major corners are being occupied by the either food stall or pan shops. Apart from this encroachment in the form of construction is far from the action. In last month PMC carried out anti encroachment drive to demolish illegal construction but the after few days the situation was as it was before.