Hyderabad
Pedestrians can not walk safely in the city due to the lack of proper footpaths. In places where they are present, they were occupied by traders. Of the 9,013 km of city roads, only 430 km have footpaths. It is noteworthy that footpaths were not present even for 10% of the total roads. Thousands of pedestrians are walking on the roads.
However, the state government and the GHMC do not take it seriously. No action has been taken for the construction of new footpaths and the removal of old encroachments. Greater Hyderabad has 2,846 km of BT roads and 6,167 km of CC roads. About 4,500 km of footpaths were to be built, leaving small alleys and colony roads. But there are currently only 430 kilometers of footpaths across the city.
There are no footpaths in the congested areas like Panjagutta, Begumpet, Ameerpet, Erragadda, Kukatpally, Koti, Abids, and Dilsukhnagar. Except at metro stations, there are no footpaths in these areas. Although built in some places, they have government-provided toilets, feed the need fridges, stalls, and bus stops. Along with government stalls, shops like Panipuri, Chatbandar, Tempered Glass Stand, Fast Food centers, Teas, Vegetables, Clothes, Sandals, and Mechanic Shops occupy the footpaths. As a result, pedestrians are having trouble walking on the roads.
Although GHMC says it has a special focus on footpath encroachments and drives, it does not appear to be so at the field level. Even if the drives are taken, again for two days the occupations are going on as usual. The High Court has repeatedly issued orders on the condition of footpaths in the city but there is no serious action. In 2021, more than 150 pedestrians were killed within the City's three Police Commissionerates. Many were hospitalized.