NEW DELHI: To make footpaths more pedestrian and disabled friendly, the Public Works Department (
PWD
) issued orders on Friday to take steps to remove all constructions by private individuals.
This comes a week after Delhi high court flagged construction of concrete ramps in residential areas while hearing two petitions regarding concrete around trees in areas like CR Park, Kalkaji and
Vasant Vihar
.
According to the PWD order issued by the engineer-in-chief, “At many places, footpaths have been encroached upon by shopowners and residents living besides it by constructing steps or ramps on the footpath for access to their property. It is directed that the matter should be... taken up with the authorities concerned for removal of such encroachments.”
While dealing with such constructions at Kalkaji and Bipin Chandra Pal Marg, the court had noted that concrete ramps had been built on the footpath by private individuals for access of their motor vehicles into their properties. The court directed the authorities to level the footpaths, keeping in mind a wheelchair-bound or visually impaired person.
The court noticed the encroachments on public footpaths in the photographs shown to it and directed rectification of the illegality. It asked why the ramps built outside several houses didn’t conform with the standards of South Delhi Municipal Corporation and ordered their removal.
According to PWD, any such construction by a private individual is not permissible and they should be made within the property line. The steps on footpaths create obstruction to the movement of pedestrians and persons with disabilities, it added. PWD is likely to coordinate with the municipal corporations and the district authorities to remove these structures.
The HC, however, asked the corporation on Thursday not to remove such ramps in Vasant Vihar for the time being after the RWA counsel submitted that he would take instructions from the association for their voluntary removal and would apprise it during the next hearing on March 23.
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