Tirupati: Hawkers on footpath a curse on devotees

Tirupati: It is hard to find a single footpath left to pedestrians in the temple town of Tirupati, where the pedestrians used to walk on the roads risking their lives while the hawkers, street vendors and hoteliers have completely encroached them. Making more advantage to the encroachers TTD has laid colourful tiles on the footpaths on few roads spending lakhs of rupees leading to Alipiri, the entrance of the path way to Tirumala hills, which were even not spared.

The roads in front of Railway station, Bus stand, Srinivasam amenities complex, which are always congested with huge traffic with thousands of pilgrims reaching the temple town everyday by trains, buses are forced to walk on the roads, as the footpaths are usually occupied by hawkers and petty business people. Many of the hotels at these busy areas have encroached the footpaths and some of them even roads have set up of junk food centres and pan shops infront of them.

In front of Srinivasam amenties complex, run by TTD one can’t find a footpath, because they have encroached by tiffin centres on carts and hawkers, which creates lot of hardship to visiting devotees especially those who come to Tirupati from long distances like Tiruttani, Chennai and other places by walk. They used to walk all along by walk to Tirumala. “We are coming by walk from Tiruttani, which is around 90 kms from Tirupati and we did n’t felt any danger on the highway as heavy traffic movement was there. But, walking in Tirupati it seems more dangerous as we have to walk on the roads while the footpaths were occupied by street sellers. Here, the autos and buses are also not bothered about the pedestrians,” said K. Saravana, native of Tiruttani of Tamil Nadu, who is on walk along with a group of 20 devotees to Tirumala to fulfill their vows.

The narrow roads in busiest TK Street, Bazaar street, Isuka Street, Tilak Road, Leelamahal road, Bhavaninagar, and KT Road also pushes the pedestrians to walk on the road while cars and tempos and other vehicles enters into area, despite there is one way only. At Annarao Circle and Nandi Circle the hoteliers have openly encroached the footpaths  by erecting shades for keeping their kitchens outside the hotel, no municipal official never bothered to remove the encroachments.

A municipal official speaking on condition of anonymity said, despite warning by them the hoteliers with political support are continuing to occupy the footpaths, which is causing lot of inconvenience to the pedestrians. He said that the municipal corporation is going to implement a new policy where the street vendors will be evacuated from the footpaths and they will be provided alternative site for continuing their livelihood.

Those street hawkers, who encroached footpaths  will also be given licence in other places for continuing their business, he said. But, encroaching of footpaths by hoteliers is a big challenge posing the municipal authorities.