The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will clear all encroachments on footpaths after the ongoing Legislature session ends.
The civic body has been given a three-month deadline by the Karnataka High Court for clearing footpaths in the city of unauthorised structures and obstructions. The High Court directive has been welcomed by several citizens as the city’s footpaths are full of obstructions.
BBMP Commissioner, M. Lakshminarayan, told The Hindu that the civic body would draw up an action plan to take up encroachment removal drives across the city. As per the High Court directive, the BBMP can remove all obstructions, without issuing any notice to the encroachers.
Soon after the High Court issued the order, the BBMP swung into action and cleared some structures from the K.R. Market area. The displaced vendors cried foul and staged a snap protest. They later met Mayor B.S. Sathyanarayana, who assured that a hawkers’ zone was being created there on the lines of the one suggested by the Supreme Court.
BBMP sources said that footpaths where street vendors conduct business would not be cleared. “There are some informal hawking zones such as Sarakki Market, Gandhi Bazaar and Madiwala Market, which have existed for several years. These will not be cleared.”
Asked about bus-stops on some footpaths, which also obstruct pedestrian movement, sources said that bus-shelters were essential. “We cannot clear bus-shelters. Many citizens use bus services and shelters are needed.” They added that after the action plan was drawn up, BBMP officials would seek police protection to clear encroachments.
However, BBMP officials remained non-committal on the question of shrines occupying space on footpaths.
