Lucknow: Commuters give unsafe, dirty Charbagh overbridge a miss

LUCKNOW: The foot-over bridge (FOB) on the main road in Charbagh could be of immense help to commuters but only for its poor upkeep that has rendered it both unusable and unsafe, particularly for women.
There is heavy traffic on Station road all through the day due to Charbagh railway and bus stations as well as the Alambagh bus terminal and both city and roadways buses plying on it. The ongoing Metro construction has further squeezed space for traffic and as a result pedestrians have to manoeuvre their way in traffic maze moving amid tempos, autorickshaws parked on roadsides hailing passengers.

The encroachment by street vendors and makeshift eateries block the way to the FOB which pedestrians now avoid because of the filth and littering.

The FOB is used by homeless as a shelter at night and has become home to anti-social elements, drunkards, drug addicts because of which women feel unsafe to use it.

Swati Jaiswal, who crosses Charbagh daily on her way to office, said, “I avoid using the bridge because many drunk men wander on it making it uncomfortable for us. I prefer taking the risk of crossing the road. I once encountered a man who purposely blocked my way. That was the last time I stepped on FOB.” Many commuters said that they avoid the FOB because of the stink from garbage and the public toilet near it. The public toilet should be shifted from here, said local commuters.

“Littered garbage at the start of the FOB’s slope repels its users. Instead of removing vendors, LMC staff take money from them and let them sell goods,” said Nipun Shah of Gurunanak Market. When questioned, municipal commissioner Indramani Tripathi said, “I have taken cognizance of the matter and will send teams to remove the vendors permanently. I will also seek clarification from the zonal officials as to why the FOB is not being cleaned daily? Action will be taken against the guilty.”

If the pedestrians could use the FOB to cross the busy Station road, it would ensure their safety as well as ensure smooth flow of road traffic and prevent jams.