BENGALURU: It appears the BBMP is listening to citizens who are concerned about the pathetic state of footpaths. After its ‘My City, My Budget’ campaign drew 9,706 inputs -- with many seeking better footpaths -- the civic body has allocated Rs 20 lakh per ward to repair sidewalks, towards the mission ‘Footpaths For Citizens’.
BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta said, “We want to encourage citizens to participate in ward-level meetings to make decisions. Our goal is to ensure 1,000 km of walkable footpaths, with at least 5 km per ward, using these funds. Non-motorised transport initiatives like cycle lanes and pedestrian pathways would be taken up.”
Sapna Karim, head, civic participation, Janaagraha, said, “True participation begins now, with citizens working with Ward Committees in realising the vision of 1,000 km of safe footpaths. Ward Committees and citizens can now identify areas in their wards to improve footpaths.”
“Allocation for footpaths and local roads have limited impact without coordination between multiple agencies working on roads, like BWSSB, Smart City Project, Bescom etc. Budget zonal devolutions are good but CfB has been demanding zonal coordination committees so there is real impact on repairs and construction,” Tara Krishnaswamy of Citizens for Bengaluru said.