Hyderabad, Sept. 23 -- From Lakdi-ka-Pul to Jubilee Hills, from Nampally's railway crowds to Abids' shopping lanes, the story on Hyderabad's footpaths is the same: built in patches, blocked in most and abandoned by evening. Pedestrians across the city say they have stopped expecting a footpath to actually be walkable and have started planning their commute around the main road instead.

Under Indian Roads Congress guidelines, a footpath must offer a clear walking width of at least 1.8 metres in residential areas and 2.5 metres in commercial ones, free of hawkers, parked vehicles and other obstructions. Siasat.com walked five localities end to end, and none met that standard.

Lakdi-ka-Pul to Banjara Hills: A stop-and-go journey

Near the ...