Take steps to ensure proper footpaths, Supreme Court tells States
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) observed that the States and local authorities must safeguard the fundamental right of pedestrians to clear and unhindered footpaths.
'This court has recognised that the right of pedestrians to use footpaths is guaranteed under Article 21 (right to life and dignity) of the Constitution. Right to have footpaths that are unobstructed is an essential characteristic,' a Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said.
The court directed the States and Union Territories to frame guidelines to ensure proper footpaths for pedestrians calling it their constitutional right.
Key risk factor
The Bench was hearing a case over the delay in the implementation of the cashless scheme for treating road accident victims. The court said the absence of footpaths contributed to road accidents, as it forced pedestrians to walk on roads, making them vulnerable to risks.
'It is necessary to have proper footpaths for citizens. They should be such that they are accessible to persons with disabilities, and removal of encroachments is mandatory,' the court said.
In an earlier hearing in the case, the top court had asked whether the government was really working for the welfare of the common man by constructing huge highways without providing any facilities for emergency medical care for road accident victims.
'Can you be so casual? Are you not serious about this provision? People are dying in road accidents. You are constructing huge highways but people are dying there because there is no facility. There is no scheme for golden hour treatment. What is the use of constructing so many highways?' Justice Oka had asked the Centre. 'Golden hour' is the 60 minutes following a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood of preventing death by providing prompt medical care.
In a judgment in January, the top court had directed the Centre to immediately frame a scheme for the cashless medical treatment of road accident victims during the golden hour when their near and dear ones are not around and there may not be anyone to help them with money to pay for critical care.
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