Citizen Connect: Pedestrians battle for space as motorists, vendors take over streets

Chennai

The lack of space to walk in Chrompet has raised concern among the pedestrians. Residents complain that sidewalks are present at various main roads, but they serve no purpose to the walkers.

It is tough to find a well-paved sidewalk which is free of encroachments in and around Chromepet. This poses a huge risk to the life of pedestrians. Walkers claim that pavements are encroached by electric posts or transformers or pushcarts.

“We are walking in the middle of the road and battling to find a space to negotiate between the pile-up of vehicles. It is evident that the vehicular population has been on the rise over the years. Hence, these authorities have compromised in regard to the facilities available for pedestrians. The monitoring agencies, including the State Highways and Pallavaram municipality, are not regularly monitoring the stretches. They need to regulate it. Without their help, we cannot remove these encroachments,” said V Kavitha, a resident.

Many are vying to take up space, including roadside vendors and motorists. It has been continuing for several decades where pavements are converted into the parking space.

“Roadside vendors are present at every nook and corner of the neighborhood. The government must find a solution to regulate them. We are living amidst chaos. At a few stretches, State agencies themselves encroach the pavements with lamp poles or electric posts. They are the ones who must set an example. But they are being lethargic about these issues. On my street, pavements are used to dump garbage. Further, the sanitary workers do not clean it properly. The residue of the waste always remains unattended on the pavements, making it unfit to walk on,” said a regular commuter, R Ramakrishnan.

An official from Pallavaram municpality said, “It is unfair to say that State agencies are unmindful about the things happening around us. We are removing the vendors after giving them a stern warning. But they keep reappearing after a week or so. Still, the authorities are persistent to remove them and reclaim the space for pedestrians.”

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