doneHyderabad: The walking community of MLA Colony in Banjara Hills, consisting of approximately 1,000 members, mostly senior citizens, has been without a proper space for their morning and evening walks for over ten years, residents claim.The footpaths leading to the colony, as is the case in much of the city, have been encroached upon by commercial establishments. These range from roadside food stalls selling tea and snacks to private hospitals such as and small eateries . Without pavements and with ever-increasing traffic on the roads, residents say walking has become a major inconvenience.Nirupa Reddy, 64, a resident of the colony, said: “Because of these shops on the footpaths, many vehicles park on the remaining space on both the pavements and the roads, leaving hardly any room to walk. Many of the senior citizens in the colony, who were once active walkers, have now given up their evening walks due to the traffic,” she said.Part of the problem also stems from houses within the colony that have been using the footpaths for parking, installing generators, and even setting up security cabins, residents claim.“Every now and then, we encounter instances of a homeowner attempting to construct a compound wall on the footpath, claiming it’s their property. Only yesterday, a man tried to do just that, and it escalated into a major issue. An FIR was filed against him,” said Narayan Reddy, President of the Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), MLA Colony.The condition of the remaining pavements has been steadily deteriorating and they are frequently dismantled during road repair works, residents say.“Earlier, I used to walk to KBR Park from my home, which is hardly 200 metres away. But now, due to the poor condition of the footpaths, I am forced to take my vehicle to get there,” said another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.GHMC officials state they have been actively engaging with residents to find a solution. “We met the Residents’ Welfare Association President just a few days ago and assured him that all removable encroachments would be cleared with the help of the traffic police. As for encroachments that cannot be removed, the barricades blocking access to these pavements will be taken down,” said Srinivas Enja, assistant city planner at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)
