The footpath on Dispensary road is more of a grazing ground for cows. One entire stretch of footpath has been turned into a parking lot for two-wheelers and the other part is covered with garbage where cows come to graze. Small shops line the other side. On both sides of the road the pedestrians are welcomed with broken slabs and uneven footpath.
Adjacent to Commercial street, one of the busiest roads in the city, Dispensary road has frequesnt traffic jams. Women visit this road regularly to shop or get their clothes designed. “I get most of my clothes stitched from here. The footpaths are in a very bad condition and there is no space to walk here at all,” said Mamtha S, a resident of Wilson Garden. Like Mamtha, other pedestrians face similar issues. “Look at all the garbage strewn on the footpath. Does the corporator expect us to walk in dirt? This place has become a grazing ground for cows. The foul smell is intolerable. It is a nightmare walking on this road,” said Rohit M who uses this road regularly.
The situation worsens when it rains. With slush and garbage mixing together to form a stinky concoction of filth, pedestrians have to suffer the worst.
While most of them claim that there is no hope for this stretch of road; others shared their discontent over the whole situation. “Sometimes, during heavy rains, water stagnates and this becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The area being a popular shopping destination sees a lot of crowd, especially children, on the weekends. I think it is about time the corporator does something to clean up the area,” said Vaishnavi Singh, a resident of Cox Town.
Another menace that many pedestrians have to face in this area is public urination. According to Sandhya Kini Rao, a resident of Shivajinagar, people need to be a little more civilised and act mature. “We keep blaming the authorities for not doing anything but what are we doing to keep our environment clean. Despite all the garbage issues, I see a lot of men urinating on the same pavement. I think the penalising every offender is the only way out in this case,” she said.
Despite repeated calls, the corporator was unavailable for comments.