ENSURING ADEQUATE PADESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs notes that under the Constitution’s 12th Schedule, municipal roads and pedestrian footpaths are state responsibilities, but the Centre supports them through model regulations and schemes. Key central initiatives include the National Urban Transport Policy (2006), Metro Rail Policy (2017), and Transit‑Oriented Development Policy (2017), along with the URDPFI Guidelines that mandate footpaths. The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) – launched in 2015 and its 2.0 version (2021) – has funded 346 Green Mobility projects creating roughly 474.34 km of walkways and cycle tracks, and facilitated tree‑planting (≈7.74 lakh trees). The Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SSASCI) scheme has promoted pedestrianisation, resulting in 22 streets (≈63.73 km) being pedestrianised across 10 states, and 39 TOD corridors notified in eight states. Additionally, the PM‑eBus Sewa Scheme has sanctioned 10,000 electric buses for over 100 cities to improve public‑transport connectivity.