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Monday Musings: What does it mean when a footpath is locked, idiotically?
The inability of Pune Cantonment Board to provide decent footpaths to its residents tells many things: it smacks of negligence, mismanagement and insensitivity to the basic needs of the people
One of the most evocative parts of Pune, rich with history and nuggets of historical anecdotes is Pune Cantonment, with its iconic MG road and East Street; Shivaji Market, St Vincent’s School and the Ohel David Synagogue.
Camp, as we know it, is home to the headquarters of the country’s biggest army command, the Southern Command.
And yet, this gem of a locality, administered by the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) with a number of top defence officials at its helm, appears to be in a state of neglect. The first and the most conspicuous sight of this neglect is the state of footpaths in many parts of Camp.
Why are the Pune Cantonment authorities blind to the need of decent footpaths for the people?
Last week, we undertook a cursory survey of footpaths in Camp which showed that many stretches could not be used by the public because of rampant, illegal encroachment. The encroachment was so very blatant; it seemed that the encroachers cared two hoots for the PCB and its bosses.
A number of roads in localities like Centre Street, Chhatrapati Shivaji Market area, Mahatma Gandhi road, Taboot Street, Sherbetwallah chowk, Moledina road, Dastur Meher road and Fashion Street road were found to be encroached upon by hawkers, shops and restaurants with their wares, snack centres, cigarette and tobacco kiosks.
A case in point was a restaurant near the popular Hussaini Bakery at 706 Taboot Street, whose owner had put two huge containers on the footpath, obstructing the part of pedestrians. Again, on Taboot Street from Aurora Towers road, a 60-70 metre stretch had virtually disappeared due to encroachment by a restaurant and handcarts.
We reported on the fact that a conscientious resident of Camp had written to PCB president Major General Navneet Kumar about the misuse of this footpath. “As it is the road is narrow. On one side there are two-wheelers parked and the other side is packed with handcarts and hawkers,” this citizen had said in his letter. Even after this letter and a media report, the PCB authorities remained unmoved with no action against the encroachers.
Camp also has the rather extraordinary sight of a locked footpath- yes, a footpath with a small gate with a lock on it. Is it permissible for someone to ‘lock’ a footpath? This footpath, which is in perfect alignment with the public footpath, is located in front of Dorabjee’s supermarket, right on the busy Moledina road. When the supermarket decides to lock the footpath, people have no choice, but to walk on the road and lose the right to the footpath.
While the supermarket claimed that the land on which the footpath was constructed belonged to them and it was within their right to lock it, the PCB CEO Amit Kumar said that “permission was issued in the past for beautification. The gates are not on the footpath and the supermarket has its legal rights for the same. I got the details checked by the technical staff .”
Contrary to Kumar’s information, the gates block the footpath and what this basically means is that the PCB is unable to do anything about the denial of this footpath to the public.
The inability of a civic body to provide decent footpaths to its residents says many things at once: it is a reflection of negligence, mismanagement and insensitivity to the basic needs of the people.
My question to PCB president Maj Gen Navneet Kumar, and to CEO Amit Kumar is, do you genuinely care for the people in Camp? If so, what are you doing about footpaths for the residents?
