Jaipur: Pedestrians on Jaipur’s busy MI Road are being pushed off footpaths and into moving traffic as encroachments, illegally parked vehicles and utility structures choke pavements along the key commercial stretch.With little civic enforcement, shopkeepers and customers have turned walking space into parking zones, while JVVNL transformers, dustbins and water campers further narrow the already crowded corridor.The result is a daily hazard for shoppers, commuters and tourists, who must step onto carriageways amid heavy traffic. The denial of safe walking space has raised concerns about pedestrian rights and official accountability on one of the city’s most visible roads.
Vehicles parked on the footpath despite the No Parking sign at MI Road in Jaipur, Rajasthan
“Vehicles illegally parked on footpaths create immense inconvenience not only for pedestrians but also for customers visiting nearby establishments,” said Vikram Singh Rathore, an employee of a branded jewellery shop.A visit to the stretch Friday showed that pedestrians could not walk even 10 metres continuously on the pavement on either side. Two-wheelers and cars occupied most usable space outside shops, leaving people to weave around obstacles or walk on the main road. Several pedestrians chose the carriageway for longer stretches because repeated diversions made the footpath unusable.
Vehicles parked on the footpath despite the No Parking sign at MI Road in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 20 June 2026
“I witness this problem daily and try to stop people from parking here, but a total lack of regular monitoring and enforcement by authorities allows it to persist,” stated Mahesh Gujar, a private security guard at a building on MI Road.The issue has triggered blame-shifting between agencies. Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) officials said removing unauthorised parking falls under the traffic police.Police officials, however, alleged that some JMC staff members had given “unofficial” permissions to shopkeepers to use pavements as valet parking areas. Meanwhile, pedestrians remain the worst hit, forced to risk accidents on a road that should offer safe, continuous and obstruction-free access to every walker.
