Footpaths and Highways

"The single biggest difference between the infrastructure of an advanced nation and a backward nation is its footpaths, not its highways", says the former Mayor of Bogota, Colombia in the Hindu dated 22 Nov
2009(http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/22/stories/2009112260561800.htm). I agree.

With all the hullaballoo about road widening and developement( which doesn't materialize, either), the footpaths of Trivandrum have reached a state of no-return. One may find, sporadically, a few bits of pavement here and there, that's all. The rest of the roadside is a dusty stretch which turns into a muddy stretch for half the year, when it rains. One just needs to walk from Statue to East Fort to see the point.I guess it's pointless to expect things to change, since our decision makers or the people who can wield any influence in the decision making process do not use pavements or public transit, and hence will never see or experience the difficulty.