Bengaluru, July 10, (Karnataka News):
Since July 1, a total of 9,878 encroachments have been cleared on a total of 435 km of footpaths. The encroachment clearance operation will continue in the jurisdiction of all the five corporations, said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Speaking about the footpath encroachment and the eviction operation of traders in various parts of the city, he conducted a city tour on Friday and received information from Bangalore Urban Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda. Later, he answered questions from the media near the Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar.
There were a total of 1,340 shops, about 1,800 push carts. Push carts have been allowed to be taken away. About 2,267 shops had tin sheets installed in front of them, which have also been removed. 2,300 steps, porches, 2,662 pillars, boards, 2,247 sheds have been removed. The cleared waste has been disposed of and work is also being done to repair the footpaths, he explained.
Street vendors are ours:
Don’t worry. The poor are ours. It may be private or government land, but it is not possible to do business in some places. Our government also allows street vendors. We also want street vendors to survive, he said.
We had given identity cards to street vendors. The court had given a stay order on it, now we will start this process again. The designated places will be identified for you. You can conduct business there, he said.
More than 900 pedestrians have died in the past three years. Therefore, we are doing this work for the benefit of the citizens. This is not something we are doing for our own benefit. If there is no footpath, people will walk on the road. Then there will be problems with the movement of vehicles. I have reviewed the work that has been done in the last fortnight, he said.
When asked about the allegations that no alternative arrangements have been made for street vendors, he said, “I am very happy. Let all those who make allegations make allegations. We will identify other places for them. They are not allowed to trade in places where there are many vehicles or in front of someone’s property. We will look for a place where there is no problem. We will allow trading in places that do not inconvenience anyone. They should come in the morning and leave in the evening.”
Vijayanagara had built an underpass market and made an alternative arrangement. But when asked why street vendors were not doing business inside, he said, “We are going to work to respect your advice and knowledge.”
Quick decision on Jayanagar market:
A decision will be taken soon regarding Jayanagar Market. Half the building has been constructed. The other half should be completed. This work will also be done soon. This work will be done under some project. We will do work that will protect our properties and give respect to the citizens, he said.