The Missing Sidewalk.

Jaywalking is commonplace in most cities in India. However, Hyderabadis have a valid reason - Non-existent footpaths and non-existent cross walks! The pedestrian here is sandwiched between the edge of the building and the edge of the road with no where to go. Road widening, flyovers, more roads but no footpaths! Seems like the Hyderabad authorities are acting on a policy based on the alleged quotation of the french queen Marie Antoinette "Let them eat cake", in response to "the peasants have no bread!". Some areas like the Jubilee Hills seem to be better off than the rest of the city when it comes to treating the pedestrian.( Mostly because it comes under New Development.) But for most areas, footpaths are eaten up by either the authority's road widening rampage or the paanwala ki dukan or by the piddling artists sprinkling monochromatic grafitti on boundary walls. Maybe they (footpaths) have never been there to begin with. The GHMC has put up signs on the the well-landscaped roundabouts - 'Clean Hyderabad, Green Hyderabad!' Therefore, of all places to plant trees, they choose to plant trees on a 2 feet wide footpath!

So what can a citizen do about the missing sidewalk?

Write to the Media? Stage a Rally and take to the roads? Host a strike in front of the Planning Department Building? Or sit and watch because we have cars or two wheelers to commute?

Maybe, as citizens of Hyderabad, all we need to do is develop a little sensitivity for those who do not own means of transport. Lets not take wrong turns. Lets not, in our rush to get home, drive our scooters over the narrow footpaths. Lets not park in front of bus stands and obstruct pedestrian traffic. Lets not jump lights.
Let the pedestrian jaywalk in peace!
The rest, we hope, the authority will come around to doing sooner or later. Everyone knows its never too late to do a good thing.