With footpaths and pavements being encroached, pedestrians are forced to walk on busy roads of Srinagar city. In some areas, the encroachments are massive that even commuters on their way to home or office end up walking in the middle of the road.
A visit around the city shows that most of the footpaths and pavements are occupied by vendors extending their stands. There are also some signboards kept by shops keepers on footpaths, leaving very little space for pedestrians.
For instance, at HSHS and Lal Chowk, road encroachments are rampant. Pedestrians are left with no option but to walk on the road. Many roads here are quite narrow with commercial establishments on either sides and this stretch has now become unsafe.
Also Read : Five leopards spotted in Budgam village, panic grips villagers
Similar situations have been noticed in the other parts of the city too. This illegal occupation of footpaths in City is causing lot of inconvenience to commuters, the illegal hawkers on the roadside and footpaths have created bottlenecks, causing traffic chaos.
Sometimes police also try to clear the footpaths from vendors, but surprisingly, the vendors in full police glare re-occupy their respective illegal spots shortly after the team of officials left towards their respective offices.
At the same time it is well to remember that eviction drives, no matter how well-intentioned, will not be productive without making arrangements for the rehabilitation of these hawkers. The district authority should act immediately to free the footpath from the clutches of vendors.
