Civic body trying to clear encroachments on footpaths

Civic body trying to clear encroachments on footpaths

The Hindu

Police favour rules to prevent hawkers from taking up space on footpaths

# BMP has a budget allocation of Rs. 10 crore for maintenance of footpaths
# People are forced to walk on the roads as pavements are not usable or have been encroached upon
# Traffic police are planning to mark areas on pavements for the use of pedestrians

Bangalore: Ever since the Karnataka High Court directed the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to submit a detailed report on the state of footpaths in the city, there have been sporadic attempts to clear them of encroachments. The civic administration has a budget allocation of Rs. 10 crore this fiscal for maintenance of footpaths.

Over the past three months, the BMP has been coming down hard on people dumping construction debris on footpaths and on the roadside. In some cases, stiff fines were imposed, besides placing the debris back on their premises.

Construction material and debris are just one part of what obstruct pedestrian movement on footpaths, BMP engineers say. Display of products and signs by small traders, hawkers, pushcarts of vendors, makeshift two-wheeler repair and tyre patching stalls and an occasional vehicle trying to beat the no-parking rules, also fight for space on many pavements.

According to senior police officers, while they can take some action, they would need more assistance from the BMP itself. While traffic rules allow for action against jaywalking and specify pedestrian need to use footpaths, in many areas they are forced to walk on the roads because pavements are not usable or have been encroached upon. Technically, the BMP also owns the sidewalks and is responsible for their maintenance and ensuring pedestrians can use them. The police would like to enforce a set of rules that prevent shopkeepers and hawkers from taking up space on footpaths.

The traffic police are thinking broadly in terms of marking areas on pavements which are for the use of pedestrians only and the space shopkeepers could perhaps display their wares, not exceeding a specific limit.

This, they expect, may solve the problems faced by pedestrians. If shops and hawkers break the rules, legal action could be taken on the grounds of encroachment on public property, police say.

Mayor Mumtaz Begum feels it is the duty of the police to ensure that pavements are kept free of hawkers and stalls. "Preferably all footpaths should be free of commercial activities," she has said. Some civic officials feel the idea of marking out certain lanes near major roads for hawkers, who will be licensed, could be revived.