Street vendors & vehicles choke footpaths in Patna, endanger lives

Patna: Despite repeated anti-encroachment drives, the city footpaths remain in chaos due to street vendors and haphazardly parked vehicles. This forces pedestrians, including the elderly and children, to walk on busy roads putting their lives at risk. The situation not only endangers public safety but also worsens traffic congestion and increases the likelihood of accidents.The worst affected areas are Boring Road, Boring Canal Road, Kankarbagh, Kidwaipuri, Digha, the vicinity of Patna Junction and other areas. In these areas, footpaths, originally intended to ensure pedestrian safety and ease of movement, have been overtaken by unauthorised constructions like staircases, nurseries, makeshift stalls and parked vehicles.Alarmingly, some shopkeepers are reportedly profiting by illegally renting out the space in front of their shops to street vendors, further aggravating the problem. "It is really frustrating to step out in the evening. Navigating the crowded Boring Canal Road feels chaotic sometimes, as if the vehicles would drive over us,” said Nidhi Kumari, a second-year student residing in Nageshwar Colony.Sanjay Kumar, whose office is on Boring Road, said there is hardly any space to walk, and at some places, the footpaths are not even visible. Atul Kumar Singh, a resident of Kankarbagh, said, “Pedestrians walking amidst moving vehicles has become a common sight.” While he acknowledged that footpaths alone would not completely resolve the traffic congestion, he emphasised that they would certainly help ease it.Meanwhile, both Singh and Kumari argued that simply clearing footpaths without offering alternative livelihoods to street vendors is not a viable solution. “The execution must be planned in a way that ensures enough space for pedestrians while also safeguarding the vendors’ means of income,” they said.In a recent meeting, district magistrate (DM) Thiyagarajan SM announced a strict action against the encroachers. He directed officials to identify repeat offenders, prepare a list, and file FIRs against them. He also instructed them to take strict legal action, including seizing goods and imposing hefty fines, to deter future violations.“Permanent encroachments will be cleared through a formal process within a set time frame, while temporary ones will be removed immediately,” the DM said.An official from the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) stated that anti-encroachment drives are being conducted on a regular basis in tandem with the district administration. “However, after the drives are conducted, street vendors set up their stalls again on the footpath.” He acknowledged the need for a long-term solution, mentioning that while some areas have been provided with designated vending zones, others, like Boring Canal Road, are still in the process and might be completed by the end of the year.Vendors selling items on the footpaths of Boring Canal Road said that their documents and photographs have been collected for the vending zone allotment process, suggesting a potential shift towards a more organised and sustainable solution for both pedestrians and street vendors.