ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
Bhubaneswar: For thousands of pedestrians in the Capital city, commuting through walking has become a daily struggle.
Footpaths along several major roads are routinely occupied by parked vehicles, roadside vendors and commercial encroachments, forcing pedestrians onto busy carriageways and into the path of moving traffic.
The situation is particularly striking in the City, which is promoted as one of India’s leading ‘Smart Cities’. Despite repeated anti-encroachment drives, safe and accessible walking space remains scarce.
The crisis assumes greater significance following a landmark Supreme Court ruling recognising the right to walk as a fundamental right.
The court directed authorities to ensure properly demarcated, encroachment-free pedestrian spaces and stressed that pedestrian safety cannot be sacrificed for motorised traffic.
It also placed responsibility on urban local bodies to create, maintain and protect footpaths.
Yet several key stretches in the City continue to present serious challenges. Roads from Patia Square to Nalco Square, Rupali Square to Saheed Nagar, and the Bhawani Mall–Empires Hotel–National Highway stretch often see footpaths reduced to parking areas or occupied by vendors and commercial establishments.
Similar problems have been reported around Capital Police Station Square, Kharavela Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Master Canteen, Acharya Vihar, Jayadev Vihar, Unit IV, Unit IX, Satya Nagar, Delta Square, CRP Square and Nayapalli. Urban planner and resident Piyush Ranjan Rout said, “The problem refl ects years of planning that prioritised vehicles over pedestrians.
Separated walkways and cycling tracks are not luxuries — they are basic urban infrastructure. Pedestrian and cyclist needs have often been overlooked despite massive investments in roads.”
Citizen activist Debasis Sarangi said so-called smart corridors have suffered from poor enforcement, with pedestrian paths and cycle tracks routinely taken over by vehicles and unauthorised vendors.
BMC Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mohanty said the civic body has begun implementing the SC’s directions in phases.
“We have already initiated enforcement measures against encroachments on footpaths,” he said, adding that stretches within the Smart City area, including Vani Vihar to Sishu Bhavan Square, are expected to be cleared within two months.