Pedestrians suffer as encroachments take over Ooty footpaths

Udhagamandalam: Encroachments on footpaths in Ooty have become a growing menace for pedestrians, with little action taken by municipal authorities to address the issue. Many pavements are being occupied by commercial establishments, local vendors, and even used as taxi or auto stands, leaving pedestrians to navigate hazardous streets.
The footpaths on Garden Road in Ooty, where tourists throng, resemble a hawkers' space and godown.
"Garden Road is fully encroached by hawkers. The municipality had built a few shops for them, but they are still to be allotted. It is high time the officials concerned should look into the matter and enhance facilities for the pedestrians," said, N Kumaran, a resident.
A Gopal, another resident said, "Etienne's Road and Walsham Road fall under the Ooty municipality. The authorities should heed to the complaints of the residents and do something to make the footpaths visible there. There used to be a beautiful footpath in those stretches and walking there used to be a great experience with the Greenfields on one side. Now, we don't have a clue where the footpaths have gone."
D Muthukumar, a senior citizen, said: "Neglecting the amenities for pedestrians is a reflection of a larger systematic issue which has to be corrected. We have only few main roads in the town for walking."
In 2018, the then district collector J.Innocent Divya instructed the municipality to evict the encroachments on Garden Road. More than 40 illegal shops were removed. However, hawkers returned to the pavements once the administration changed.
Efforts to reach the municipal commissioner and the municipal engineer went in vain.