Jaipur: The Jaipur Development Authority’s (JDA) Traffic Control Board is preparing to crack down on pavement encroachments across the city, but a glaring violation outside the authority’s own headquarters has put the civic body in an awkward position.Footpaths along JLN Marg outside Gate No. 2 and Gate No. 3 of the JDA headquarters are largely occupied by landscaped green verges maintained by the authority itself, leaving pedestrians with only a narrow strip to walk on. Town planners said the stretch exemplifies the very kind of encroachment the Traffic Control Board now proposes to remove elsewhere.
Footpaths along JLN Marg outside Gate No. 2 and Gate No. 3 of the JDA headquarters in Jaipur, Rajasthan, are largely occupied by landscaped green verges maintained by the authority itself, leaving pedestrians with only a narrow strip to walk on
“The issue is significant because JLN Marg is among Jaipur’s busiest corridors and the pavement outside the JDA headquarters is one of the few in the city wide enough to meet notified standards.
However, more than 90% of the walking space has been taken over by landscaping, defeating the purpose of the footpath,” a town planner said.A 14-point notification issued by the directorate of urban bodies in July 2025, following a Supreme Court directive dated May 14, 2025, prescribes minimum pavement widths of 1.5m in residential areas and 2.5m to 3m in commercial and high-traffic zones, officials said.“The unobstructed portion is so narrow that two pedestrians can barely walk side by side. The authorities should have corrected the layout over the past year, especially since the directions apply not only to new projects but also to existing infrastructure,” an official said.Senior JDA officials did not respond to queries. JDA commissioner Siddharth Mahajan was unavailable for comment.Officials acknowledged that the proposed enforcement drive could appear selective unless the authority first removes violations under its own control, particularly along a stretch used daily by thousands of pedestrians on one of Jaipur’s busiest roads.
