The GHMC has decided to construct model footpaths of eight to 10 ft wide on a pilot basis beside five roads of Road No.11 & 12 Banjara Hills, Road No.36 Jubilee Hills, opp. Salar Jung Museum and Himayatnagar.
Being built at a cost of Rs.30 crore for a total length of 100 km, the new footpaths are to have a common duct for taking all telecom and internet cables underneath. Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu urged non-governmental organisations, builders, architects and interested citizens to help build them incorporating safety features for pedestrians and aesthetic design.
Chairing an interactive meeting on Friday, the Commissioner said if pavement designs are standardised in these stretches, the same can be taken to other roads. He invited the gathering to suggest “suitable and practical” measures through a status survey to improve the design including footpath height during construction stage itself.
“There are no second thoughts about improving footpaths. But, we are looking for design uniformity and construction,” he said, pointing out each road had its own pavement design. The design should balance pedestrians' safety, parking and carriageway space.
Though there were lot many inter-departmental issues to be taken care of, he assured that the overhanging cables presenting an ugly façade of the capital would seen be a thing of the past. A special cell under a superintending engineer assisted by two deputy executive engineers was being set up to look after junction improvements and footpaths maintenance.
Mr. Krishna Babu said tender packages too were being increased to Rs.2/3 crore each so that established contractors come forward to take up civic works. “We are planning to inscribe the name of the agency on the footpath to ensure qualitative work,” he said.
He readily agreed to a suggestion from Builders Association president Shekar Reddy to incorporate provisions for ducts and footpaths in releasing new layouts. Earlier, ‘Right to Walk' activists – Kanti Kannan, Prasad, Vijayraghavan and others wanted the GHMC to ‘own up footpaths' and accord top priority to pedestrian safety.
“Footpaths should enable pedestrians to walk continuously without a break and there has to be an exclusive cell to deal with enforcement and maintenance,” they said. A senior citizen Mohan Reddy wanted footpaths to be kept clean and swept like roads. There was also a demand not to let ramps jut onto the footpaths and roads.
Mr. Vijayraghavan wanted a time bound programme like mapping footpaths, improving them and tackling parking issues.
Public walls can be painted with murals by arts students to prevent urinations or spitting. Additional Commissioner (Planning) K. Dhananjaya Reddy was also present at the meeting.
