Special cell to deal with problems of pedestrians

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/special-cell-deal-problems-pedestrians-416

April 26: A special pedestrian cell will be set up at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation office to deal with problems that pedestrians face and where they may lodge complaints. The cell is part of the comprehensive pedestrian policy formulated at a meeting convened by GHMC officials and attended by representatives of various NGOs headed by Right to Walk Foundation.

The meeting happened following directions from the State Human Rights Commission. The policy also proposes widening of footpaths from six feet to 12 feet and footpaths that are free from encroachments. The GHMC additional commissioner, Mr K. Dhanunjaya Reddy, said a draft policy has already been prepared and sent to the state government for its approval. “Apart from the widening of the footpaths depending of the width of the road, the policy also proposes removal of electricity transformers; evicting encroachers from footpaths; checking urination on footpaths; construction of skywalks; and providing street furniture for pedestrians,” he said.

The pedestrian policy will be integrated with the overall transport policy being prepared for the city. He also said the city’s traffic policy will not just concern vehicular traffic but will also include mobility plan for pedestrians. Representatives of the 16 NGOs who attended the meeting urged the policy makers that hawkers must not be evicted in the name of pedestrian facility. They suggested that the new policy should provide space for pedestrians and hawkers without obstructing vehicular traffic.

About

The Right to Walk Foundation is a Hyderabad based NGO campaigning for pedestrian rights. It is registered society under the Andhra Pradesh Registration Act, 2001 and the registration number is 468 of 2008. The Foundation takes its root from the shared concern that the GHMC had failed to provide the common man with a wide enough footpath; free of encroachments, stench and garbage to walk on and from the fact that to-date, there has been no clear-cut focus on problems faced by pedestrians in the city or measures to solve the same.