It is no longer a pedestrian-friendly city, rue denizens of Guntur, the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh with a population of nearly 9 lakh.
Part of the Amaravati Capital Region Development Authority, Guntur city has few pedestrian-friendly roads. Most of the main roads and the internal roads are bereft of footpaths, and the ones that exist are few and far in between. Even these are mostly occupied by roadside vendors, say pedestrians.
While the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has been making efforts to improve the traffic flow by widening roads, little has been done to make the roads safer for pedestrians. Even traffic flow is affected in many areas as people are forced to walk almost in the middle of the road due to the roadsides being occupied by vendors and small commercial establishments.
One of the earliest urbanised cities in the State, Guntur became a municipal corporation in 1994 and is a prominent educational hub. However, the lack of basic facilities such as footpaths is a dent on the city’s image, feel residents.
The encroachment of road margins by commercial establishments and shopping complexes and using the road shoulders as parking places by two-wheeler riders is also adding to the problem.
Taking cognisance of the problem, GMC Mayor Kavati Manohar Naidu said it is high on their agenda and agreed that it should be addressed at the earliest.
He explained that a majority of the small roadside vendors have been plying their trade for decades, and unless alternative arrangements are made for them, evicting them from the footpaths would lead to a loss of livelihood for them.
He added that there are certain laws allowing the recognised vendors to do their regular business at permitted places on public roads. Mr. Manohar Naidu said that the commercial establishments in the organised sector should refrain from using public roads and allow the pedestrians to walk along the road margins
The Mayor explained that the corporation would come up with a suitable plan to ensure proper footpaths in a phased manner.
