Encroachment of public space for commercial activities by vendors and shop owners is well documented and talked about. However, encroachment by residents themselves is far more prevalent, and much less spoken about, possibly because we all our guilty in some way or another.
Illegal extensions and additions to houses have become rampant in our colony. Encroachment of public spaces is something no longer restricted to slums and illegal colonies. In fact, encroachment in the form of extension of gates, huge ramps inaccessible to pedestrians, and placement of plants at strategic locations to create personal space far beyond the boundary walls are just some examples. Even more blatant are guard cabins, some made as temporary structures and some with bricks and mortars. Ideally, they should be within the boundary walls, not on public land.
Many of us are also guilty of blocking space by parking our cars in front of our houses. Ideally, the space outside our house is public space, and we do not have a so-called birthright on that space. But some residents are even more territorial, blocking space around the parks with wooden or cement blocks to park their vehicles, and threatening anyone who dares to park there. Even the back lanes are not spared, with some of the lanes blocked by residents who stay adjacent to the gate of these lanes. God forbid, in case of any untoward incident, no emergency vehicle would be able to access these service lanes.
The public space belongs to all of us collectively. It is for us to show respect to fellow residents and not encroach on this space. It’s also very easy for us to blame authorities for all that is wrong with our city. But maybe encroachment is a classic example of the adage that when we point our finger at others, four point at us.
