New Delhi: Residents had complained for at least seven years but footpaths around Vikaspuri remained choked with encroachments, forcing pedestrians to dodge traffic on busy roads while risking their safety.It took a high court order for civic agencies to finally step in, conduct a joint inspection, and confront the scale of the encroachment in the area.“What municipal agencies failed to acknowledge despite years of complaints and representations was recorded within weeks after Delhi High Court ordered a joint inspection by MCD, PWD and DJB,” one of the petitioners, Paras Tyagi, said. Though focusing on a stretch opposite St. Cecilia School and the F-Block DDA Market, the case reflects the larger civic reality in Delhi, “where residents often spend years filing complaints that see little action until courts intervene and force agencies to coordinate and fix accountability,” Tyagi said.“What began as a single kiosk in 2002 has now grown into over 25 kiosks and food carts across a roughly a 100-metre stretch. Residents alleged that several vendors had expanded beyond permitted limits by placing tables, counters and structures on footpaths and roadsides, severely restricting pedestrian movement,” the petitioner said.Tyagi’s plea said that schoolchildren, senior citizens and commuters were routinely forced to walk on the carriageway because public pathways were “completely obstructed.” It highlighted another layer of civic neglect. Drains running under the footpath had become inaccessible as kiosks were constructed above the manholes, leading to choking, foul smells and mosquito breeding ahead of the monsoon.Despite repeated complaints to MCD, PWD, DJB and the revenue department, the violations continued unchecked. Calling it a “complete abdication of statutory duties”, the petition argued that the inaction violated citizens’ rights to safe mobility, clean surroundings and public health under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.The plea also raised a question about an allegedly illegal borewell operating on public land, alleging that unauthorised groundwater extraction was happening in violation of environmental norms.Having “exhausted all available avenues”, the petitioner approached Delhi High Court.On April 29, the court directed MCD, PWD and DJB to jointly inspect the area and submit a report on the allegations. The court said the findings should be forwarded to the competent authorities for action “warranted under law”. The inspection report is now ready, and TOI procured it from sources. The report appeared to validate several concerns residents had raised for years.“During the May 13 inspection, officials found that MCD-licensed food vendors were operating on a footpath maintained by PWD. The team recorded that temporary encroachments had spread beyond the permissible licensed area, obstructing pedestrian movement,” the source said.The report noted that drains beneath the footpath had become partially inaccessible.The inspection team also said that a “functional tube well exists on public land, amounting to groundwater extraction”.TOI sent queries to PWD, DJB and MCD seeking details on the proposed course of action, but no response had come in till the time of publication.
