As the footpaths and pavements are being encroached, pedestrians are forced to walk on busy roads of the walled city. In some areas, the encroachments are in such bad shape that people end up walking in the middle of the roads. There are so many cases when pedestrians confront accidents while moving on roads as the pavements are being encroached extensively by the vendors and the shopkeepers by putting their goods on display. A visit within the walled city can be enough to gauge the problem that most of the footpaths and pavements are occupied by two-wheelers, vendors, tea stalls, signboards kept by shopkeepers, and so many other things leaving no scope for pedestrians to use footpaths for walking. Even the famous Raghunath Bazaar is not spared by the encroachers as there are many vendors sitting in between the pavements blocking the way with impunity and the agencies responsible for clearing these footpaths gone into hibernation like the cold-blooded creatures as the encroachers are ruling the roost since ages and no one is there to stop them from stopping the movement of the pedestrians. The encroachments are rampant in other parts of the city as well and the pedestrians are left with no other option but to walk in the middle of roads. Many roads here are quite narrow with commercial establishments on both sides thus making the walking on these stretches quite perilous. The people who have been misusing the footpaths and pavements across the city are quite confident that no one will act against them may be due to under the table transactions or some kind of political back-up. Whatever is the case, the people of the city have to face the music on account of encroachments and this is something which needs to be looked after by the higher authorities because the people cannot be left on the mercy of God for their safety. It seems that the mess is because of lethargy of the civic body viz Jammu Municipal Corporation and it is the time that the concerned officials come out of deep slumber and go for regular drives to put an end to this menace once and for all.
