India, May 27 -- The city administration's inaction on the plea for a foot overbridge (FOB) in the Delhi Cantonment over a road used by at least 3,000 soldiers of the Rajputana Rifles makes it a case of criminal negligence. This newspaper on Monday reported how the soldiers are forced to take a path straddling a stench-filled drain under a culvert on a busy stretch of the Ring Road to access their parade ground. The drain floods when it rains, forcing the soldiers to wade through slush and sewage. A request for an FOB has been pending with the administration for at least 12 years and earlier this year, a civil society activist filed a case seeking the court's intervention. The public works department (PWD), responsible for building FOBs and subways, is still considering the request. This is despite the Central Road Research Institute, the premier State agency that does feasibility assessment studies, making a strong case for the FOB. From government officials to the powerful Lieutenant Governor's office to the defence ministry, everyone agrees on the need for the FOB, but none has acted to make it happen. The appalling apathy to a much-needed public utility is symptomatic of how public authorities function in this country. Foot overbridges and subways are signs of a civilised city; refusing them is tantamount to denying basic comforts to its citizens; and in this case, the affected are soldiers, who give their all for the country. More broadly, uncluttered footpaths, covered drains that do not flood, functioning traffic lights, roads without potholes, and unpolluted drinking water are not luxuries or charity, but essentials of civilised urban living and the rights of citizens. Public officials who fail to provide these need to be penalised; the executive, including the political leadership, needs to be accountable to citizens....