HYDERABAD: Encroachment of footpaths all over the state capital became a common and perennial problem and it was high time the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation took stringent measures to ensure that the footpaths were free of encroachments, justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court observed on Friday.Dealing with a contempt petition filed against GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu, the judge said in his order that in view of the pattern being adopted by the encroachers, the court would like the corporation to constantly monitor the footpaths in question and see that at no point of time would the encroachers occupy the footpaths again causing obstruction to pedestrians.``A perusal of the report showed that the corporation had undertaken measures for removal of encroachments on September 14 and November 15 this year but the advocate commissioner's report dated December 18, supported by photographs, showed that the footpaths were full of encroachments again.It was for this reason that the assistant city planner claimed that encroachments were again removed on December 29.'' These facts would undisputedly show that the corporation was not in a position to maintain encroachmentfree footpaths even though some efforts were being made in this regard on the directions of the High Court, the judge remarked and directed the municipal commissioner to file another status report along with photographs of footpaths.He then adjourned the contempt case to January 20.The petitioner E Padmaja, a resident of Jubilee Hills, had filed a writ complaining about the inaction of the civic authority in removing illegal encroachments by push cart vendors, hawkers and mobile eateries on Road No.55 in Jubilee Hills. The court then directed the civic authorities to initiate steps for removal of encroachments. When the GHMC failed to remove the encroachments, the petitioner filed a contempt case.
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