Kerala's policymakers are known for trumpeting the achievements in high levels of human development indices under the hubris of Kerala model of development. Notwithstanding these accomplishments, the state has an abysmal record when it comes to basic amenities such as proper walkways, hygienic public comfort stations and barrier-free environment for the physically challenged. The urban areas are crying for good footpaths that can be trusted by pedestrians. Most cities lack enough footpaths while the condition of the existing structures, to say the least, is in a deplorable situation.
Lack of overall planning, maintenance and negligence are the hallmarks of walkways in the cities. The utter negligence can be gauged from the observation made by the Kerala High Court about their condition in Kochi recently. Only sportspersons can take out the "hop-step-and-jump and triple jump" walk through the city's footpaths, the court observed. Despite being hailed as the fastest growing metro city and commercial capital of the state, Kochi does not have properly designed and constructed footpaths. The drainages covered with concrete slabs are generally used as roads are narrow. The city has such improper and uneven walkways along the entire stretch of more than 75 km road area.
"There are no special funds allotted for footpaths in the corporation budget. A part of the fund allocated for roads is kept aside for maintenance of pavements," said P.M. Haris, who head the corporation's works committee. Apart from the city corporation other agencies connected with the city roads are also least bothered about pedestrian safety. Even major roads like MG Road, High Court - Edappally Road, Kaloor-Kathrikadavu Road, Park Avenue, Foreshore Road, Sahodaran Ayyappan Road and Palarivattom-Kakkanad Civil Lane have no proper footpaths.
Former town planning committee chairperson K.J. Sohan said Kochi is not having a single walkway which is properly designed. "The gradient of footpaths should facilitate easy and comfortable walking for the elderly and the physically challenged. But here, the sidewalks are uneven, very narrow and are broken at several points and never help pedestrians. Even though there are strict guidelines as per Indian Road Congress on their construction and maintenance, they are never followed," he said.
The ongoing metro works have added to pedestrians' woes. Most footpaths along its corridor have been broken and not repaired yet. The city corporation has submitted letters to the Kochi Metro Rail Limited authorities to repair the damaged drains and footpaths. Nothing has happened. Mr Harris said the civic body proposed to take up development of MG Road with a scientifically designed footpath under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Project (AMRUT).
As in the case of Kochi, the presence of multiple agencies for making slabs over drain and building footpath is a problem faced by Thiruvananthapuram too. Barring the interlocked tiled walkways that Trivandrum Road Development Corporation Ltd (TRDCL) laid in most of the 42-km roads it maintains, the condition of footpath in the city is not satisfactory, say experts. PWD is responsible for most areas where missing and broken slabs are a common sight. There had been instances of homemakers and senior citizens getting injured in Thampanoor and East Fort.
"A big slab was found missing opposite Ponnara Sreedharan Park outside the Railway Station. A good Samaritan placing empty beer bottles helped people from tripping over it. At Manacaud Junction I tripped on a protruded slab and lost my toenail," said Akhil Mohan, a business person. A study by NATPAC has found pedestrian facilities not up to the mark, says its director B. Sreedevi. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation deputy mayor Rakhi Ravikumar says the civic body is not having the culture of keeping readymade slabs to replace broken and damaged ones.
Slabs are made on request by councillors. Often adjustments are made by replacing the broken one with another good one lifted from lesser used stretch. "As of today there is no single helpline number for pedestrians to report damage or obstruction to footpaths managed by different departments," Ms Ravikumar said. Areas such as Thirumala- Karamana and Pongumoodu-Sreekariyam are yet to get footpaths, and recommendations are pending before various authorities to create 30 km of new pavements in the city.
The condition of sidewalks in Kozhikode is also equally horrific. The city also had a dubious distinction of witnessing at least three deaths in the recent past after falling into the drain. In one incident the body of the person was retrieved soon but in two other incidents bodies were recovered days later as there were rains and the level of water was high.
Malabar Development Council chair C.E. Chakkunny said the lack of coordination and firm policy outlook are the main reasons for the state of affairs. "We would attend things only when there is a major mishap," he said. "The rulers are least interested in their maintenance or health and safety of citizens". Kozhikode district collector N. Prasanth had directed clearing all the drainages and undertake necessary repair works to avoid the threat to life.
Kochi’s cracking by the wayside
Kochi is far away from being a planned city as is evident from its neglect for pedestrian safety. While a majority of roads lack footpaths, the authorities such as the Kochi Corporation and the Public Works Department (PWD) are taking no efforts to maintain the same. "We regularly go for the morning walk along the Subhash Chandra Bose Road near Kadavanthra. Right throughout the entire stretch, one can see weeds growing on footpaths, making walking through it impossible. The vehicle density is high through the straight stretch since metro works are going on the main SA Road connecting Kadavanthra to Vytilla. Often the pedestrians' lives are put in danger," says Jomesh Joseph, a resident of Jawahar Nagar.
In Kochi, pedestrians are forced to walk on the non-existent footpaths. A scene from MG Road.
Another issue is the deteriorated concrete covers over canals and water drainage at many parts of the city. "This is due to lack of coordination between the PWD and the corporation. In PWD roads or those maintained by the GCDA, the sanitation work every six months are carried out by the corporation. The tiles over the concrete slabs are broken. But often they leave it there and simply put the broken slabs back leading to the danger of pedestrians falling into it," said Ranganatha Prabhu, president of Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council (EDRAAC).
The EDRAAC has given a memorandum to Kochi mayor to ensure maintenance of footpaths. "They can even collect the funds from agencies like PWD or GCDA to carry out the works," he said. Traders encroaching footpaths and the unauthorised parking of vehicles also push pedestrians out. Officials of residents associations say the failure to undertake pre-monsoon cleaning results in water-logging, especially in places where concrete slabs over drainages are used as footpaths. A PWD official said the department had replaced deteriorated drainage covers from Jose Junction to Thevara in June.
