Mumbai footpaths remain blocked by bus stops, stalls despite Supreme Court ruling

Despite the Supreme Court declaring on June 19 that the right to walk on demarcated footpaths is a fundamental one two permanent obstructions hinder pedestrians mdash bus stops licensed stalls midday noted several such examples across the city The footpaths in question were narrow from the time they were built forcing pedestrians onto the road and demonstrating the prioritisation of vehicles over peopleBEST bus stops could be seen on narrow footpaths at Poisar in Jai Bhim Sanjay Nagar Kandivli West Dr Ambedkar Hospital in Parekh Nagar Kandivli West and D Cooper Hospital on Indravadhan Ojha Marg in Vile Parle WestA BEST bus stopMeanwhile Bhatia fast foodgovt milk scheme shop on Indravadhan Ojha Marg Jai Ganesh chaat shop on Tilak Road on the western side of Santacruz railway station and Raju sandwich stall near the Churchgate Metro station are some of the licensed shops that block their respective footpaths There were two exceptions mdash the BEST bus stop at Mantralaya on Madame Cama Road and Milk Scheme Shop at Liberty Garden Junction in Malad West whose respective footpaths had ample space for pedestriansThe Milk Scheme Shop at Liberty Garden Junction in Malad West one of the installations that does not impede pedestrians PicSatej ShindeWhat should be doneAccording to experts an ideal footpath is wide enough to accommodate authorised structures in dedicated zones ldquoPublic utilities can be planned inclusively Road width has to come second to have wellplanned cities Traffic can always be reduced with increased public transport usagerdquo said urbanist Vedant MhatreThe BEST Bus stop at Poisar depot Kandivli West PicNimesh DavelsquoDedicated footpath space is nonnegotiablersquoVedant Mhatre activist and programme manager of the Walking Project ldquoThe issue of choked footpaths across Mumbai exists because the authorities did not ensure the ideal width of footpaths instead road width was prioritised Nor did they specify any spacesaving measures at the time of granting permits for authorised installations as they should havebecause dedicated footpath space is nonnegotiablerdquoThe sandwich shop near the Churchgate Metro station PicAshish RajeOfficial SpeakTrushna Vishwasrao the BEST chairpersonldquoWe also believe that walking on the footpath is a basic right and pedestrians shouldnrsquot have to compromise Wider footpaths usually help with this issue at many places we will discuss how we can also sort of revisit possible solutions for this issue from our endrdquolsquoEither widen footpaths or remove all authorised obstructionsrsquoNayana Kathpalia below longterm civic society advocate and trustee of NAGAR said ldquoAuthorities have always perceived pedestrian rights to be of least importance Itrsquos a sad reflection that the Supreme Court had to reiterate such a basic truth The old bus stops with just the poles didnrsquot take much space on the narrow footpaths but they didnrsquot offer shade and their replacements which cover almost the entire width of the pavement were designed with a focus on ad space The first hawker guidelines were formulated by the BMC in 1985 Even where footpaths are not wide enough Aarey milk and zunka bhakar shops continue to operate obstructing pedestrians Many of them seem to have even expanded their permitted space and functions so these shops now sell all sorts of fast food Consumers crowd in front of them eliminating walking space Now that walking has been declared a fundamental right the authorities should either widen the footpaths or remove these obstructions Authorities choose to do nothing as itrsquos often an unofficial source of incomerdquoSupreme Court rulingldquoWe should first disabuse our minds of associating the lsquoright to moversquo only with movement on wheels Wheels eclipsed our imagination and our municipal administration was busy creating roads that are suitable for motorised vehicles We declare the Fundamental Right to walk on demarcated footpaths alongside motorised roads The fundamental right to walk on demarcated footpaths shall override the privilege of a motorised vehicle The duty bearers are the urban development authorities municipal corporations municipalities and even panchayatsrdquopopcorn numberJune 19 descDay Supreme Court stated that right to walk on footpaths is fundamental classDefault