The Supreme Court's latest directive mandating footpaths on all roads has been met with skepticism in Jaipur, where civic agencies have yet to act on a similar apex court order issued about one year ago. Officials said doubts over enforcement have deepened because many pavement encroachments are not limited to private vendors but involve government agencies as well.
Previous order remains unimplemented
In July last year, the Local Self Government department issued a circular laying down standard pavement norms to protect citizens’ fundamental right to walk freely. This followed a similar diktat by the apex court in May 2025. Little, however, has changed on ground. “For Jaipur, the three agencies, JMC, JDA, and the traffic police, have failed to take effective action on ground. Not a single pavement in the capital city is pedestrian-friendly, exposing severe structural apathy and a total disregard for previous judicial mandates. There are several busy stretches across Jaipur without pavements,” an official said.
Road safety concerns rise
The inaction has alarmed road safety advocates, who say Jaipur continues to report a high number of fatal accidents, including those involving pedestrians. Neha Khullar, executive director of Muskaan Foundation, said the city urgently needs pedestrian safety measures. “For the past decade, we have been advocating pedestrian safety measures across the city. While we managed to sort out a few issues, several issues we raised remained unheard. Even two designing pillars of the neighbouring residences of the director general of police and chief secretary have illegally encroached the pavement of Tonk Road. We have highlighted this issue repeatedly, but no action has been taken yet,” Khullar stated.
Government agencies among encroachers
The involvement of government agencies in encroaching pavements has compounded the problem. The official noted that the failure to act on previous court orders reflects a systemic disregard for pedestrian rights. Jaipur, despite being a major city, lacks pedestrian-friendly infrastructure on many key roads, forcing pedestrians to share space with vehicular traffic.
Call for urgent action
Advocates are calling for immediate enforcement of the Supreme Court's directive and the state government's circular. They emphasize that pedestrian safety must be prioritized to reduce fatalities and ensure the fundamental right to safe movement. Without concrete action, the latest order is likely to face the same fate as its predecessor.
