Vanishing footpaths: They are sitting on your pathway now

A look at the footpath on Infantry Road will remind you of a hurdle race track. Broken slabs, garbage and two-wheelers parked on the footpath risk the safety of pedestrians.

After the Metro construction took off, the traffic on Cubbon Road has been diverted towards Infantry Road, which has hiked traffic on the stretch hence the parking 'facility' has been removed for time being. Adding to the mess are furniture shops that display goods on the footpath.

Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, MA Saleem, says, “These shops encroach the footpaths and create nuisance. We have provided them with alternate parking arrangements near Shivajinagar Bus stand and the crossroads. So there is no reason for them to park on the space meant for pedestrians. Once the Metro work is wrapped up they can park their vehicles on the road opposite their respective shops.

Tahir, a staffer at a furniture shop says, “We have no space to keep the furniture inside. Hence, we put it on display outside. But the traffic police seize it if they  find us encroaching the footpath. We also pay fines of at least `200. The moment we get information on the cops coming here, we quickly clear the pavement.”

Corporator M Gopi said, “I had presented a proposal around one and a half years ago to include Infantry Road under the BBMP Model Road project. The tenders for the same will be called next week and the work will start by January. The estimated cost will be around `6 crore. It will take six months to complete work.”