Jaipur: Union housing and urban affairs ministry has asked Rajasthan’s urban development and housing (UDH) and local self-govt (LSG) departments to ensure safe, accessible and obstruction-free pavements across cities and towns in line with earlier Supreme Court directives. A compliance report on actions taken to that end has also been sought.In an advisory dated Sept 21, additional secretary Sailendra Pal Singh cited the apex court’s June 19 ruling that the right to walk is a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution. The court held that this right includes access to safe, demarcated footpaths, placing a clear obligation on govts and urban agencies to protect pedestrian movement.The ministry advised the state to act through development authorities and urban local bodies to create pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. It called for continuous, well-maintained footpaths, removal of encroachments and prevention of construction material, debris and other obstructions from being dumped or allowed to remain on pavements.The advisory also stressed pedestrian safety on roads and footpaths, particularly in densely populated zones and high-footfall stretches. It asked authorities to prioritise markets, schools, colleges, hospitals, bus depots, railway and metro stations and other vulnerable locations where pedestrian movement is heavy and risk levels are high.Queried on the matter, urban planners said Rajasthan already has a policy framework in this regard, but implementation remains weak.Following an earlier SC directive in 2025, the directorate of urban local bodies had issued 14 directives prescribing the shape, size and features of pavements across towns and cities.“None of the urban local bodies followed these directives. In cities such as Jaipur and Jodhpur, compliance is more difficult because most pavements fall under development authorities controlled by UDH department, not LSG department,” an official said.Officials and planners said coordination between agencies will be crucial to following Centre’s latest directives, as pavement ownership, maintenance and enforcement responsibilities are often split. Centre’s latest advisory is expected to push the state to fix accountability and restore footpaths for pedestrian use.
