Jaipur’s pedestrian underpasses turn into shelters, unused spaces

Jaipur: Pedestrian underpasses built to provide safer road crossings in Jaipur are struggling with poor maintenance and low utilisation, with patients and attendants sleeping at SMS Hospital underpass, Jawahar Circle subways lying without adequate lighting and cleaning, and one exit of Ajmeri Gate underpass remaining closed.A TOI visit to the three locations Monday found poor sanitation, closed facilities and a lack of basic maintenance, raising questions over the upkeep and utilisation of infrastructure built at considerable public cost.

At SMS Hospital underpass, patients and attendants from distant districts were seen sleeping and resting along the passage. A 35-year-old heart patient from Kawat in Sikar district arrived with her husband and two children for treatment and said the family would spend the night there. A patient from Deeg district, who had a lump in her throat, said two family members had been staying in the underpass since the previous day and would remain there until her reports arrived.Shopkeepers said the underpass deteriorated due to poor maintenance by civic bodies. “Initially, there was a guard and vehicles were not allowed. Now, there is nothing. Lifts are non-functional, drainage system is blocked and the facility is not maintained. People urinate on the ramp,” said Nitesh Kumar Sharma, a medical store owner who bought his shop in 2018.

Rakesh Agrawal, owner of shop No 22, said his medical store frequently gets flooded. “The entire underpass is in bad shape and there are no arrangements. We have to get the place cleaned ourselves. We submitted applications to JDA several times, but nobody cares to make corrections. Water enters my shop,” Agrawal said. Shopkeepers said business declined as many people were unaware of shops inside the underpass.At Jawahar Circle, the pedestrian subway was found without lights and cleaning. Resident Naresh Aswani said he repeatedly tweeted to JDA, tagging CMO, but no action followed. TOI found that the underpass is currently under neither the JDA zone concerned nor its garden wing.

Ajmeri Gate underpass, reopened after remaining closed for years, was functional but one exit was closed during TOI’s visit. No one was seen using it. A JMC official said it remains open from 8am to 9pm, while locals said the additional walking distance discourages people from using it.Malviya Nagar MLA Kalicharan Saraf said, “The condition of pedestrian underpasses in the city is not right. If they have been built, they should be fully utilised. I have repeatedly told the officials concerned that they should be put to full use. There is no point in spending lakhs of rupees on construction if they are not used.”A JDA official said SMS underpass maintenance file has been cleared and directions would be issued to the authorities concerned in four to five days. Cleaning and elevator work would be completed within a month, the official said.