Foot overbridges in Jaipur decay, pedestrians at risk

Jaipur: Foot overbridges at Collectorate Circle, Narayan Singh Circle and Tonk Road, are now in a state of neglect. While the Collectorate Circle bridge remains functional, the bridges at Narayan Singh Circle and Tonk Road have been closed and unusable for the past four years.Constructed by Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) in 2006 at a cost of over Rs 10 crore, the bridges were handed over to Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) in 2017.
Since then, poor maintenance has rendered escalators defunct, while filth and foul smell have made the structures unusable. At Tonk Road, barricades block access to the bridge, forcing pedestrians to cross via the flyover after the Sahakar Marg crossing was shut, exposing them to speeding vehicles.At Narayan Singh Circle, one side of the footbridge, connecting Rambagh Circle, has been shut for the past three months. A guard posted there said the gate was closed for maintenance for the last three months but no work has started so far. With non-functional escalators, the bridge has turned into a nesting place for pigeons, making it unhygienic.In June this year, when the bus stop was removed from Narayan Singh Circle, JDA spoke about shifting the footbridge to India Gate but nothing has begun.When asked about maintenance, JMC Executive Engineer Mahesh Mishra said the matter falls under the jurisdiction of another officer. Executive Engineer (Lighting) Pradeep Sharma later said tenders were being issued to hand over the bridges to a private company and that the JMC would no longer be responsible for their upkeep.The condition of these bridges has raised serious concerns about pedestrian safety in one of Jaipur's busiest traffic corridors.

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