Published Jul 24, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 24, 2026 | 7:00 AM
Aluva, 17 July: Customers waiting at a food counter force pedestrians to walk on the road. The eatery's takeaway counter opens to the footpath.
Synopsis: Pedestrians, perhaps the largest unorganised section of citizens, are deprived of footpaths — pavements to walk safely and with dignity. The Supreme Court has now asserted that the right to walk on safe, demarcated footpaths is a fundamental right under the rights to free movement and life. But are the footpaths in your city available for pedestrians?
“It’s today. Your luck is on the way. Don’t miss it…buy a ticket,” the lottery vendor kept calling at whoever passed by his makeshift shop—crates neatly stacked outside a restaurant opposite the Railway Station at Aluva in Kerala’s Ernakulam district.
Luck, however, depends on which side of the fence you are on. People crowd around the vendor to go through the list of winners to check if Lady Luck had favoured them, at least a bit. The restaurant’s takeaway counter opens to the footpath, causing its customers to add to the crowd.
The customers park their vehicles close to the footpath, further eating up space. The area gets crowded whenever a train arrives. A busy transit hub, the station is used by thousands of Kerala’s guest workers.
Aluva, 17 July: Customers waiting at a food counter force pedestrians to walk on the road. The eatery’s takeaway counter opens to the footpath.
Jaywalking is a common sight in this area as people are forced to leave the curb and step onto the busy road, instead of bumping into customers crowding the footpath. So far, almost all of them have been lucky enough to reach their destination unhurt, or have been hurled by abuses by passing motorists.
By the way, Sreelakshmi Soman, who captured this scene, has marked herself safe — and therefore, lucky!
Join South First’s Reclaim Footpaths campaign. If you see a footpath that is encroached on or damaged, share a photo and details (location, date) with us at +91 8341082462. We will flag it to the authorities responsible for fixing it.
