“Yesterday I broke my sandal while walking on this road,” said an agitated Sushma B, a resident of Richards Town who had come to Thoms bakery to buy groceries. Though in a good condition when compared to other areas in the city, footpaths on Wheeler road have broken slabs which makes it difficult for pedestrians to walk comfortably. Home to one of the oldest bakeries in the city, this road is used by several pedestrians on a regular basis. Yet, the authorities have taken no measures to mend footpaths. Senior citizens suffer the most at the hands of broken slabs. “It is very difficult to walk on these broken slabs. The other day I almost fell down. My sandals broke. During elections, a lot of promises are made to improve the condition of the city. But once the government comes to power, nothing is done. Ask the corporator to step down from his car and walk on these footpaths. When a simple thing like footpaths for pedestrians can't be mended, then I don’t trust the government anymore,” said Rajesh Shetty, a pedestrian.
Another pedestrian jumped in the conversation. “This is the condition everywhere. Be it Wheeler road or any other area in the city. Now with the monsoon setting in, the condition of these footpaths will worsen. There is no point complaining too. The condition of these footpaths will never improve. Every year, big promises are made, but we all have seen the result,” said N Mamtha, a resident of Frazer Town. On inquiring about the issues in this area with corporator Abdul Rakeeb Zakir, he said, “We are revamping all the footpaths in and around Frazer Town. We have started with Coles Road and the side lanes. Wheeler road is our priority and we will start the work soon. As far as I know, there was only one broken slab on Wheeler Road, which will be repaired in a couple of days.”