Pedestrians suffer as footpaths turn display shelves

City's markets, bustling hubs of activity, have become a nightmare for pedestrians as footpaths, meant to provide a safe and convenient passage for them, have been overrun by shopkeepers displaying their goods.

This encroachment has forced pedestrians to take to the roads, risking their lives and slowing down traffic.

The situation is particularly dire in popular markets like Hall Bazaar and near the Golden Temple, which attract thousands of tourists. These visitors, who often prefer to explore the area on foot are, instead, met with a sea of goods spilling onto the roads.

The problem is not limited to footpath encroachment alone. The parking of two-wheelers and four-wheelers alongside roads in front of shops further narrows the already congested roads. At some places, shopkeepers even extend their displays beyond the footpaths, onto the roads themselves.

Residents are fed up with the situation and demand that the Municipal Corporation (MC) take action to free up the footpaths. "In the city, pedestrians are treated like second-class citizens. Footpaths are meant for walking, not for commercial use. It is time the authorities take action to reclaim these spaces," said Balkaran Singh, a senior citizen.

Another resident, Harbhajan Singh, echoed Singh's sentiments. "If footpaths are cleared of encroachments, people would no longer have to walk on roads, and the city's traffic congestion problem would be significantly alleviated." He urged the MC to launch a drive to remove encroachments from the market areas.

The MC's lack of interest in addressing this issue has only emboldened shopkeepers to continue using footpaths as display shelves. As the city's population continues to grow, the need for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure becomes increasingly urgent.

The residents stated that instead of token drives, the MC needs to come up with an extensive plan to make footpaths free from encroachments and check illegal parking of vehicles on roadsides.