Now Reading: Woman urges safer footpaths after falls, chain-snatching bid
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Woman urges safer footpaths after falls, chain-snatching bid
A 70-plus doctor from Chennai has described how unsafe footpaths have become, after she and her husband suffered falls within a month. Writing in The Hindu, she said loose paver blocks, debris,…
A 70-plus doctor from Chennai has described how unsafe footpaths have become, after she and her husband suffered falls within a month. Writing in The Hindu, she said loose paver blocks, debris, overhanging plants and hawker encroachments make walking hazardous in many areas.
She also recounted a motorcyclist's attempt to snatch her gold chain during a morning walk. She now carries a hiking stick to ward off stray dogs and walks facing traffic. She welcomed the Supreme Court's declaration that the right to walk safely on well-maintained footpaths is a Fundamental Right.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The letter is a citizen's account, not a news report. Yet it highlights a public safety issue that affects crores of urban Indians. The National Urban Health Mission and state municipal acts place footpath maintenance with local bodies. A 2022 CAG report on urban governance found that many cities spend less than 5% of their civic budget on non-motorised transport infrastructure. With India's elderly population projected to cross 19.5 crore by 2050, safe footpaths are a health, not just mobility, concern. The Supreme Court's right-to-walk ruling is from the 2020 judgement in the matter of pedestrian safety in Delhi. The next test will be state government compliance with court-ordered footpath audits.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
