Pune’s MG Road is facing renewed pedestrian-safety concerns as hawkers, clothing stalls, advertising stands and commercial displays occupy sections of the footpaths in the Camp area, forcing people to walk alongside moving traffic during crowded shopping periods.
The problem has become more difficult during weekends and the ongoing Diwali shopping season, when large numbers of residents visit the busy commercial stretch. With footpaths obstructed, senior citizens, women, children and persons with disabilities are reportedly being pushed towards the main carriageway, increasing their exposure to traffic and the risk of accidents.
Residents and regular visitors have raised concerns over the continuing obstruction of pedestrian space. Rajwant Gurudatta said footpaths were intended for pedestrians but that there was now little room to walk safely, leaving people to move close to vehicles. “We have to walk beside moving vehicles because there is no space left to walk safely,” he said, according to the report.
Vinay Jiwani, who regularly visits the area, said families accompanied by elderly people and children faced the greatest risk. He called for administrative action before a serious accident occurred.
The concerns also include the implementation of directions attributed to the Bombay High Court regarding keeping footpaths clear and protecting pedestrian movement. Gurudatta said a petition had been filed in connection with the issue and that directions had been issued to the police commissioner. However, he said there had been no significant visible improvement on the ground and that pedestrians continued to face difficulty.
The report raises a wider question over which agency is responsible for removing commercial encroachments from the footpaths. The Pune traffic police, local police and Pune Cantonment Board have all been named in residents’ demands for coordinated action. Citizens have sought the removal of unauthorised obstructions, restoration of the footpaths for pedestrian use and a joint enforcement drive involving the three authorities.
Traffic police regularly tow vehicles and impose penalties for unauthorised parking. Residents are asking why comparable and sustained enforcement is not being carried out against commercial activities that block pedestrian routes. The report also notes that anti-encroachment drives are conducted from time to time, but residents allege that stalls and displays return after enforcement teams leave the area.
Residents are therefore seeking a permanent monitoring mechanism rather than occasional clearance drives. The source report does not record a fresh response from the Pune traffic police, local police or Pune Cantonment Board on the specific MG Road complaints or on the status of the court directions cited by residents.
