PESHAWAR, June 14: Encroachments on footpaths by shopkeepers have made life miserable for residents of old city areas and for the vehicular traffic which crawls through it.

Footpaths are obviously meant for the pedestrians’ use but in old city areas these are occupied by the people like cobblers, grocers, watch-sellers and sweetmeat sellers. Here, narrow footpaths are littered with different things for sale by the vendors.

These days it is almost impossible to walk on footpaths and the pedestrians generally end up in walking on the main road, disturbing the flow of the traffic and also endangering their own lives — but they have no choice.

The footpaths on Ashraf Road, New Rampura Road, Peepal Mandi, Hashtnagri Chowk and Qissa Khwani to Khyber Bazaar are occupied by shopkeepers. The first encroachment started when some shopkeepers got allotted space over running sewerage channels in the city and built their shops and godowns. Now, the sewerage courses are not seen in any parts of the old city area.

This illegal practice, old shopkeepers say, was encouraged by various political parties.

Besides, the shopkeepers in the busy areas around Chowk Yadgar encroached footpath outside their shops by displaying commodities there. The Ashraf Road, off G.T. Road, which runs towards Chowk Yadgar, is a classic example of this malpractice. Footpaths on both sides have been occupied by the shopkeepers.

The municipal staff, which takes extortion money, put the blame on elected councillors and shopkeepers. They say the shopkeepers were supporters of the elected councillors and the Nazimeen.

Some of the shopkeepers had rented out footpaths outside their shops to the Afghan refugees, who used to work as vendors. Besides the shopkeepers, they also used to pay to municipal staff and the area police for using the space, this scribe was told.

The presence of pushcarts, horsecarts and small trucks in these areas also add to traffic jams, worsening the vehicular flow. These areas are famous for gridlocks.

The staff of two bank branches on Yousuf Ali Shah Road also used to park their vehicles on footpaths.