No vending on Bengaluru’s major roads, says Minister Gowda amid footpath clearance drive

Bengaluru, Jul 9 (PTI) Karnataka Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Thursday said that the cooperation of street vendors was crucial to the ongoing footpath encroachment clearance drive, asserting that it was aimed at ensuring smooth and safe movement for citizens on public roads. During a meeting with representatives of the Joint Action Committee of Street Vendors, he assured them that the government would always stand by the poor. “The government intends that street vendors in Bengaluru should be able to earn their livelihood. At the same time, it is implementing the Supreme Court’s directions by clearing all encroachments from footpaths,” the Greater Bengaluru development minister said. As part of the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s ‘Safe Footpath’ campaign, which began on July 1, officials are conducting a drive to clear encroachments in an effort to improve pedestrian infrastructure across the city. According to a statement issued by the minister’s office, Gowda said the ongoing drive was aimed at ensuring smooth and safe movement for citizens on public roads and footpaths. “There will be no compromise on ensuring that footpaths remain free and accessible to pedestrians, and the cooperation of street vendors is crucial to the footpath encroachment clearance drive,” he said. The minister said that street vending would not be permitted on the city’s major roads, which together cover about 1,500 km. “However, vendors will be allowed to carry out their business on the remaining 80–90 per cent of ward roads, and the civic body will extend full support for this,” he said. The minister pointed out that, as of July 8, encroachments had been cleared from 430 km of roads in the city, and that the drive would continue. Stressing that the clearance drive was not limited to street vendors, Gowda said that encroachments by shops, petty shops, pushcarts, sheets, roofs or canopies, staircases, ramps, compound walls, advertisement boards, name boards, and temporary or permanent sheds on footpaths were also being removed. “In the coming days, the authorities will gradually remove all other obstructions from footpaths, including illegal parking and encroachments related to gardens,” he said. The minister assured that action would be taken in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions and the provisions of the Street Vendors Act. “The Supreme Court has directed that new identity cards be issued to street vendors, and I have instructed officials to distribute them,” he said. Gowda added that he would direct officials to ensure the speedy distribution of new identity cards to street vendors, in line with the Supreme Court’s directions. PTI AMP SSK