Vijayanagar hawker encroachments cleared

130 fruit, vegetable shops demolished on service road in Vijayanagar

The Hindu

BMP takes action fearing contempt proceedings by High Court





BANGALORE: Following a direction from the High Court of Karnataka, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) on Sunday cleared over 130 fruit and vegetable shops on the service road behind the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stand in Vijayanagar here.

Though the shops had been cleared soon after the court direction a few months ago, the traders had resettled and started business again.

Fearing contempt proceedings by the court, the BMP Commissioner, K. Jothiramalingam, instructed his officials to clear the service road of all encroachments.

The traders were issued notices in advance and some of them had also vacated the shops.

The operation, which began at 7 a.m., went on till 9.30 a.m.

Protest


Several traders protested the BMP move and demanded that their shops be relocated.

"We are poor people and have been doing business here for the last 30 years. We have neither put up any permanent structure nor encroached upon any pavement obstructing traffic flow. This is unfair and we want the BMP to make alternative arrangements immediately," the traders said.

The traders withdrew the protest only after the area corporator, H. Ravindra, told them that they would be allotted an alternative place for business within 24 hours.

According to an eyewitness, there was a clash between the traders and the local policemen who tried to disperse the former. A few traders who reportedly pushed back the policemen were beaten up, he said.

In the melee, some bundles of English newspapers (including copies of The Hindu) that are usually dropped at the Vijayanagar bus stand for agents got mixed up with the debris. And most of the readers in and around Vijayanagar missed their newspapers.

Mr. Ravindra told The Hindu that the traders would be allotted an alternative place to run their business. "We have identified a place other than the one which has attracted the court's attention. We will temporarily shift the traders there," he said.

Mr. Ravindra said he would consult the Binnypet MLA, V. Somanna, and chalk out a proposal to set up a market for the roadside traders.

"We also have a sub-way in Vijayanagar and are thinking of setting up a market there similar to the Palika Bazaar in Delhi," he added.

Over 60 men from the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) with help from the police carried out the demolition. The BMP Additional Commissioner (Finance), P.K. Srihari, and the BMP Deputy Commissioner (South), V. Chandrashekar, supervised the operation.