Pramesh S Jain
*We are relocating street vendors,not evicting them.
*Directive issued to immediately commence development works in cleared encroachment areas.
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda clarified that street vendors within the GBA limits will not be evicted,but are instead being relocated from arterial and sub-arterial roads to ward roads.
Addressing a virtual conference (VC) with concerned officials regarding the footpath encroachment clearance drive in the city,he directed officials to clear not only street vendors from footpaths but also various obstacles,abandoned vehicles,and illegally parked vehicles to build smooth and organized footpaths for citizens.
He instructed officials to take action to clear all encroachments in a phased manner.
The footpath encroachment clearance drive in the city has received an excellent response from the public.
He instructed officials to provide information on permitting street vendors to conduct business on ward roads,excluding major arterial and sub-arterial roads,in a manner that does not cause any inconvenience to the public.
If we utilize the existing system effectively,we will gain public support,and even seemingly impossible tasks can be achieved.
In this regard,all officials must work in coordination to build smooth,safe,and organized footpaths for the citizens of Bengaluru,he said.
*Priority for Development Works:
Development works must begin immediately on the streets where footpath encroachments have been cleared. Simultaneously,the clearance of footpath encroachments on other roads must continue parallelly.
He instructed officials to construct high-quality footpaths to facilitate safe and smooth movement for pedestrians.
*Inspection of Developed Footpaths:
Once the footpath encroachment clearance work is completed across all five municipal corporations within the GBA limits,they must be comprehensively developed.
Following this,an inspection of the developed footpaths should be conducted along with local residents to gather public feedback,he directed.
*Campaign to Clear Abandoned Vehicles from July 10:
Necessary steps must be taken to launch a drive to clear abandoned vehicles parked on the roadsides of the city starting July 10.
In this regard,he instructed officials to complete the required preparations in coordination with the municipal corporation and traffic police,formulate a systematic action plan,and execute the campaign effectively.
*Clearance of Bulk Waste and Overgrowth:
A plan should be chalked out to launch a campaign to clear bulk construction debris and wild vegetation in the city after July 15.
This campaign should be conducted jointly with the cooperation of the municipal corporation,Metro,and Railway departments.
All departments must work in coordination to make the city cleaner and more beautiful,he directed.
*Removal of Ramps on Footpaths:
Another major problem in the city is the construction of ramps over footpaths in front of houses and commercial buildings for vehicle access.This is causing severe hindrance to pedestrian movement.Therefore,he instructed officials to launch a special drive in the next phase to clear such ramps.
The meeting was attended by Chief Commissioner, Maheshwar Rao,Municipal Commissioners,Ramesh D.S, Pommala Sunil Kumar,G. Jagadeesha,Ramesh K.N,Dr. Rajendra K.V,Chief Engineers,and other senior officials.
Minister’s Video Message:
Sharing his thoughts with the citizens of Bengaluru through a video message regarding the pedestrian encroachment clearance drive,the Minister said:
“In light of the long-standing demand of the people of Bengaluru and the orders of the Supreme Court,the drive to clear encroachments on the footpaths of certain roads in Bengaluru has been initiated.
Bengaluru must be an excellent city.The people living in the city must have access to essential infrastructure, and a safe footpath is one of them.
While it is not possible to clear encroachments on all roads overnight,it is the duty of the government to carry out operations on high-traffic roads on a priority basis, which has also been a long-standing demand of the public.
If people cannot walk on footpaths, they are forced to walk on the roads.In such situations, the risk of vehicle collisions or accidents increases,which can result in loss of life or serious injuries.
Every year,hundreds of people are losing their lives in accidents while walking on the road because they are unable to use the footpaths.
Many are losing their limbs.Some are rendered bedridden for life.Yet others suffer severe head injuries and are forced to live in a coma.
Thus,thousands of families are suffering the consequences of these accidents.Considering all these factors,it is a natural desire for every citizen that there should be a system to walk safely,at least on major roads.
Fulfilling this desire is the responsibility of the government.For this effort to succeed, public cooperation is essential.
Therefore,I appeal to you once again:if you have constructed commercial buildings and encroached upon the footpath,please clear it voluntarily.If you have extended your shops onto the footpath,clear that as well. Allow the public to move smoothly and safely.
Those who are conducting business on the footpaths can continue their business on alternative roads,leaving the major roads.
It is not the government’s intention to disrupt anyone’s livelihood.However,the government cannot sit idle when people are losing their lives because they cannot use the footpaths.
We are not clearing encroachments on all roads in the city, but only on about 20% of the major roads.Business is permitted on the remaining 80% of the roads.
However,the Supreme Court has explicitly stated that conducting business on major footpaths where a large number of people walk infringes upon the fundamental rights of the public.The government cannot violate that right either.Therefore,everyone must respect this verdict.
Everyone must join hands and cooperate in this effort undertaken with the objective of making Bengaluru a more beautiful,safe, and organized city.
Permanent improvement in Bengaluru is possible only when we work together,”he stated in his message.
