Consumer Society fights for pedestrians' rights

there''s good news for the pedestrians in the city. the consumer guidance society of india, an organisation which protects and promotes the rights of consumers, is now ensuring that pedestrians get sufficient amount of space to walk upon. and for this, it has formed a new wing called the `pavements'' wing. in 1996, the consumer guidance society of india (cgsi), along with welfare organisation for road safety and prevention of accidents (worspa), filed a case against the bmc, stating that it was not doing justice to the pedestrians in mumbai. the court ruled the verdict in favour of cgsi and worspa, and a representative was allowed from these two organisations to attend the apex committee meeting of the bmc, which is held every two months, and headed by the additional municipal commissioner. "but, from the last five months, the committee meetings have not been held, nor are they following the court order," says pc batra of cgsi. this committee of the bmc comprises of all the utility departments which serve the people. cgsi members allege that bmc has also dug up roads which are in a good condition. "we have questioned bmc''s proposal to dig up good roads, as the entire city knows about how cash rich our bmc is," remarks an angry martin joseph of the consumer guidance society. according to cgsi, there are around 15 defects in the 23 wards of the city and these are largely neglected by the bmc. "we want the people to support us in our movement, which we are fighting for their benefit," remarks shailendra shroff.