Bengaluru: Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has directed officials to take stringent action against traders who re-encroach on footpaths after they have been cleared.
Under the ‘Safe Footpath’ campaign, encroachments have been removed from major roads, including areas in Shivajinagar. However, officials have noticed that some traders have again occupied the cleared footpaths, forcing pedestrians to walk on the roads.
Chairing a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the minister instructed officials to impose double fines and confiscate goods from those found re-encroaching on footpaths and conducting business there.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has identified around 1,500 km of footpath encroachments across the city. The clearance drive is currently being carried out on major arterial and sub-arterial roads.
So far, around 964 km of footpaths have been cleared, according to officials.
Krishna Byre Gowda directed the authorities to intensify the drive and remove all remaining encroachments by the end of August. He also stressed the need to prevent cleared stretches from being occupied again.