NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation and city Traffic Department seem to have finally woken up to the fact that footpaths are indeed meant for pedestrians, not vendors.
Known for its beautiful, wide and well planned roads, the Orange City was slowly earning a reputation for encroachments on roads and pavements.
The footpaths, have over a period of time been occupied by vegetable vendors, cobblers, tea stalls, etc. Even many big shops have encroached upon the footpaths forcing the pedestrians to step on the roads and find their way out.
However, now there seems to be good news for Nagpurians with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and traffic department jointly launching encroachment removal drive from the footpaths on Friday. The decision regarding the drive was taken during a meeting convened by municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta and deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) Harish Chavhan recently
Sepaking to TOI, the NMC enforcement superintendent Ashok Patil said, "The corporation periodically undertakes drives to remove the encroachments on footpaths but the encroachments return within days. However now along with traffic department we have started the drive against the encroachers. For the first time, four teams including a team in-charge, technical assistant, two NMC cops and 12 traffic constables have been formed for east, west, south and north zone. These teams commenced their job from Friday with the removal of encroachments from Pardi road, Civil Lines, Sitabuldi and Narendra Nagar ring road.
PI (Traffic), Ramlakhan Yadav said, "Pedestrians were facing difficulties due to encroachments on footpaths and on road sides. They were forced to walk on roads which many times resulted in traffic congestion and road accidents too. To check such incidents traffic and civic body together have started the encroachment removal drive.
The drive will continue till footpaths are cleared from encroachments, he added.
Meanwhile, a senior NMC official said, "Pedestrians are equally guilty for the traffic congestion as most of them do not use the footpaths and prefer to walk on the roads even when they are free of encroachments. "The proposal for creating hawkers' zone is lying in cold storage since years. If hawkers get a proper place to carry out their trade, few would continue to do business on footpaths" he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/NMC_drive_to_clear_footpaths/articleshow/3344538.cms
