Old hands join the fight for pedestrians’ rights

 
The struggle for pedestrians’ rights on city roads has now found support from the original warriors of the cause.

On Monday, volunteers of Sahasi Padyatri met members of the now non-functional group called the Bombay Association of Pedestrians (BAP).

Rejuvenated by the movement initiated by Sahasi Padyatri, BAP members have decided to take to the streets again. The will walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the present-day activists.

Activist Kisan Mehta, 84, one of the founder members of BAP, which had actively taken up pedestrians’ rights between 1972 and 1983, said, “The perseverance shown by the present lot is inspiring. I am ready to walk the struggle with them.”

Reminiscing the days of the previous movement, Mehta said, “The association was set up to fight the onslaught of anti-pedestrian policies implemented by the city fathers, who had planned to carve out a freeway from the central corridor between Dadar to Mohammed Ali Road and construct super expressways. Realising that further motorisation of roads will eat into the walking space for pedestrians, we decided to fight tooth and nail for our rights.”

While the movement fizzled out in the early 1980s “due to lack of recognition from authorities”, BAP succeeded in drawing the attention of the city fathers and the World Bank (WB) towards pedestrians’ concerns and thereby modify the plan for the central corridor.

Mehta said, “Back in the 1970s, we even managed to get the WB president James Woolfensohn to come to the city and attend a meeting of the NGOs on pedestrian problems. He recognised a project called Citizen Transport Project for Mumbai designed by us and NGO groups.”

Mehta, who joined the Sahasi Padyatri movement on Monday, is the eldest pedestrian activist in the city. Krishnaraj Rao, spokesperson, Sahasi Padyatri, said, “We want him to lead the pack.” He added that after meeting Mehta, the group has decided to formulate a charter of demands. “These would include the problems that plague city’s pedestrian territory and list our expectations from the authorities. We are ready to work with them to devise solutions.”

Mehta, who also founded the Save Bombay Foundation, said he was game for blocking traffic and staging pedestrian satyagrahas, his failing eyesight notwithstanding. Rao, in the meanwhile, said, “We are keen to get feedback from citizens before we come out with our charter of demands.”

If you want to join the pedestrian satyagraha or have suggestions/objection, mail us on padyatri@dnaindia.net or sahasipadyatri@gmail.com. You may also contact Sahasi Padyatri at 98215 88114.