India's Walkability Crisis: Why Reclaiming Our Footpaths is a Litmus Test for Urban Governance

The Issue Explained: From Civic Neglect to Constitutional Right

For decades, the state of footpaths in Indian cities—broken, encroached upon, or entirely absent—has been a persistent civic issue. However, a confluence of public health data, road fatality statistics, and a pivotal judicial intervention has reframed it as a crisis of governance and a violation of fundamental rights.

### What is the core issue highlighted by the Supreme Court?

The central issue is the legal status of a pedestrian's right to a safe walking space. In its judgment in Maniyar Iliyaz @ Shaik Riyaz vs P. Ayyappan (June 2026), the Supreme Court of India held that the ability to walk on demarcated footpaths is a fundamental right. The Court explicitly linked this right to two constitutional provisions: Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty) and Article 19(1)(d) (Right to move freely throughout the territory of India). The judgment observed that forcing citizens to walk on roads designed for vehicles, due to unusable or non-existent footpaths, directly endangers their life and curtails their freedom of movement. The Court directed all States and Union Territories to frame policies for the provision, maintenance, and protection of footpaths, moving the issue from municipal discretion to a constitutional mandate.

### How severe is the public health and safety crisis?

The lack of walkable spaces has created parallel crises in public health and road safety. On the health front, the built environment discourages physical activity. The World Health Organization (WHO)’s India Physical Activity Profile 2024 estimates that 49.4% of Indian adults fail to meet the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. The report notes the situation is more acute for women, with 57.2% being insufficiently active, and for adolescents (aged 11-17), where the figure is 74%. This sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor to the rise of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, placing an immense burden on the healthcare system.