Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Pedestrians' plight continues

Pankaja Srinivasan

Walking on footpaths could pose a threat to limb and life

WATCH YOUR STEPS: The footpath outside Coimbatore Junction forces people to walk on the congested road. — Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

Coimbatore: Gandhipuram's Cross Cut Road is an obstacle course with footpaths that exist only in parts, as in most places they have been swallowed up. Nanjappa Road, 100 Ft Road and roads in the Town Hall area are only a few of them.

Will pedestrians in Coimbatore ever walk on pavements without threat to limb and life?

If you have walked the length of any of these roads and have lived to tell the tale, it is only a miracle. "My toe nail almost came off when I tripped over the unevenly placed slabs. I am scared to take my eyes off the pavement," says Malati, a homemaker and a regular visitor to100 ft Road.

"It is so crowded on the footpath with vehicles and vendors that one has to walk sideways," complains 60-year-old Narasimhan, who was also verbally abused by a shopkeeper for inadvertently knocking down his cycle parked outside his shop.

Walking here could pose a threat to life and limb. There are gaping holes on the pavements exposing slimy drains. There are unsubstantial wooden rafters over some drains that creak ominously as one walks over them. The rest of the footpath is taken over by vendors.

There is no concern for the visually impaired, disabled or elderly people using these footpaths. Is a pedestrian-friendly Coimbatore a possibility or will it remain a dream?

Eviction drive

The Town Planning Officer, M. Soundrarajan, says eviction drives are routinely carried out. City Engineer, Coimbatore Corporation, M Chandrashekhar says a Rs. 25-crore project is underway. This includes re-laying roads and footpaths. Plans are afoot to replace and lay slabs, repair and repaint kerbs and they have to finalise the plans by March 31. Encroachments will be removed when roads are being laid. Mr. Chandrashekhar says that while no organisations are involved in the development of footpaths, private business houses have come forward in other areas. "We are awarding the maintenance of traffic islands and roadside parks to these institutions and giving them advertising rights." He adds that the Corporation will extend all possible co-operation to corporate houses if they came forward to help improve the pavements.

Corporates have cleaned up parts of their cities successfully. In Mumbai, the House of Tata and Central Bank of India smartened up streets where they have their establishments by re-laying pavements, installing street furniture and improving street lighting. They now plan to clean up the rest of the neighbourhood. Residents can contact the following officials with regard to civic problems:

M. Chandrashekhar, City Engineer, Ph: 9443744445

M. Soundrarajan, Town Planning Officer, Ph: 9443799203

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