Hundreds of IT professionals formed a human chain on the ITPL Main Road on Friday, in an effort to reclaim encroached footpaths.
About 200 techies blocked the ITPL Road and urged the State government to clear the City’s footpaths, especially on the tech corridor at Whitefield. Holding placards inked with messages such as ‘Do not park on no parking zone’ and ‘Footpaths are for safe walking’, they formed a human chain at the entrance of Global Axis Business Park, which houses many IT companies.
Yogesh Sharma, a resident of Indiranagar, who works for a company at ITPL, said: “With footpaths occupied by food stalls and vehicles in no-parking zones, we do not have space to walk on the street. Traffic jams are a common sight and it takes more than one and a half hour for me to get to work. I have also seen many ambulances caught in the traffic.” The protesters stressed that it was high time the government solved their problems on a priority basis. Chaitra P, an IT professional pointed out that women undergo eve teasing and harassment when walking on the road, especially late in the evenings. She said the ITPL Road witnesses several traffic violations daily.
Global Axis Business Park Director C Prabhakar said, “As all footpaths are encroached, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road, risking their lives. As a result, there is a rise in pedestrian injuries.”
