Activist moves high court for rights of pedestrians

PUNE: Citizen Activist Qaneez Sukhrani has filed a PIL in the Bombay high court seeking directions to the PMC to enforce pedestrian rights and implement the Indian Road Congress guidelines in the context of footpaths. While the PMC has adopted these guidelines, it has not yet implemented them, the petitioner said.

"We filed the PIL on August 8 and will be mentioning the same on August 17 before the bench headed by the chief justice," lawyer Satya Muley, representing Sukhrani, told TOI.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), state urban development department, town planning and valuation department, Pune district collector and the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation are named respondents in the matter.

Sukhrani told TOI, "We are compelled to file the PIL considering that the PMC has been progressing rapidly with developing new areas but the services around Pune city are abysmal, missing or unplanned. It is quite obvious to all that everyone has rights on footpaths, except pedestrians. After a few applications under the RTI Act, 2005, numerous communications and study of norms, policies and guidelines, GPS-based photographs, we have gone ahead to file the PIL."

"It is the responsibility of the PMC and the town planning department under various statutes and under Article 243 (W), Schedule XII of the Constitution to develop necessary infrastructure providing and ensuring proper pedestrian facilities such as footpaths, subways, foot over bridges, zebra crossings to ensure free and safe passage, with proper illumination and slopes permitting use of wheelchairs and bicycles," he said.

"It is the inaction on part of the PMC and town planning department that is affecting rights of pedestrians who have a fundamental right to free and safe passage, free of obstructions of any kind. The PMC had adopted urban street design guidelines in July 2016. The same has not been implemented even after 7 years," he added.

Satya Muley
Satya is a leading Civil & Criminal Law lawyer from Western India.
He practices at Bombay High Court, the Supreme Court and Courts in Pune/Maharashtra & New Delhi.
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