Kokrajhar Faces Pedestrian Woes as Shop Owners Continue Footpath Encroachment

KOKRAJHAR: Occupying footpaths by shop owners and businessmen is a significant offence for several reasons in the town and city but despite this fact, many shop owners and traders are seen doing business by occupying the footpaths meant for pedestrians, leading the unwarranted jams due to obstructing the movement of walkers.

Kokrajhar, being the headquarter town of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), is a busy town mainly for official purpose as people of five districts of the council, Assam and other states come to Kokrajhar for various purposes. Kokrajhar is the entrance gate to northeast both with Highway and Railway with West Bengal and it is becoming a significant business destination for traders from West Bengal.

Besides, Kokrajhar is a hotspot of conventional sports and traditional sports and also an important point to visit Bhutan, Raimana National Park and Manas National Park as well. As the complete peaceful situation has returned since the past four years, the flow of visitors to Kokrajhar town is significantly increasing. The number of urban population is also increasing rapidly as Kokrajhar is also a centre of higher educational institutions as Bodoland University, Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar Medical College and Hospital (KMCH), Bineswar Brahma Engineering College, Nursing College and other reputed colleges.

As Kokrajhar town is growing bigger with increasing population, the vehicular and pedestrian movement is also increasing rapidly leading to regular traffic jams as all the roads in the town are not widened and there is not enough bypass to reduce the vehicular movement.

On the other hand, most of the businessmen are seen encroaching and occupying footpaths and roadside spaces for commercial purposes which is creating more troubles for pedestrian and contributing to the increase of traffic jams. Though the businessmen are aware of the traffic jams for narrow roads, many shop owners in Kokrajhar use to keep their items, stuff on the footpaths to attract the customers. Apart from this, there are some sand and gravel traders from outside the district who are doing business on the roadside spaces in Owabari-Kargami bypass and even in the southern part of JD Road. This business is also contributing in the obstruction of movement.

Meanwhile, the chairpersons of Kokrajhar Municipal Board (KMB) Pratibha Brahma while talking to The Sentinel said that the footpaths were designed for the pedestrians, providing them with a safe and accessible route for walking. When the shop owners or businessmen encroach upon footpaths with their goods, displays, or structures, it forces pedestrians to walk on the road, exposing them to the risk of accidents and injuries from vehicular traffic. She said that occupying the footpaths was an act to obstruct the path for individuals with disabilities, such as those using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids which limits their ability to move freely and independently, infringing upon their right to access public spaces. She also said that footpath occupation contributes to urban congestion by narrowing pedestrian walkways and causing bottlenecks in high-traffic areas. This congestion can disrupt the flow of pedestrian movement and exacerbate overcrowding on sidewalks, especially in densely populated urban areas.

“Encroaching upon the footpaths with the commercial activities detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the surrounding area. It can create visual clutter, obstructing views of architectural landmarks or natural scenery, and diminishing the overall attractiveness of the urban landscape,” she said adding that occupying footpaths without proper authorization or permits violates the municipal regulations and bylaws governing public space usage. She also said that the authorities-imposed fines, penalties, or enforcement actions against the offenders to ensure compliance with urban planning and zoning regulations. She further added that the KMB had issued directives asking the businessmen of Kokrajhar town not to encroach or occupy the footpaths for commercial purposes but despite their appeal many businessmen have been violating the rules of the board.  

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