Pedestrians finally get their rights

However,things have changed after the initiative was launched by Pardeshi with a target set for all ward officers. “The initiative of making available five km of footpath by each of the 14 ward officers has yielded result before the April 20 deadline,” Madhav Latkar,development engineer at the PMC,said.

The footpaths were available on many roads but they were hardly in condition to be used by pedestrians,he said. Most of them are either encroached upon or in poor condition. The idea was to make available footpaths that are hassle-free and could be used by pedestrians,Latkar said.

However,the ward officers are facing problems in maintaining these footpaths as there are no allotted funds for the purpose and the work is now being done through diversion of funds allotted to other development works,he said. Moreover,contractors are also reluctant to take up the repair work of footpaths.

Inamdar said things appear to have begun moving in the right direction for pedestrians and the only need now is a holistic approach whereby the needs of pedestrians are identified and provided for as a part of macro as well as micro-level planning,design and implementation. He said the work should now be expedited and non-motorised transport needs to be promoted in Pune.

The PMC has urged the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) to shift its electric boxes that are blocking the footpaths. “There has been no response from MSEDCL,but we will continue our demand to shift the boxes,” Latkar said.