My foot! Path...

No place to walk on the road? Don't blame the authorities alone, as most footpaths have been captured by residents who care little for public safety.

While Bangalore is expanding horizontally and vertically, the fight for every inch of space is rampant, even if it means, flouting the laws.  It is not uncommon to see localities in Bangalore where encroachments are prevalent and with most places already being occupied, the ever innovative Bangalorean has asked the footpath to swalpa adjust madi.

 Though the authorities have mutely taken to such encroachments, the brunt is borne by the pedestrians and, even certain menacing two-wheeler drivers who often tend to make the footpaths, the main road! The law is law, whether it is broken or not.

 But it does use stern directions in such cases. So, it states — ‘According to section 285 of Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, Prohibition against obstructions in streets a— No one shall build any wall or erect any fence or other obstruction or projection or make any encroachment in or over any street or any public place’.

 Ever positive and proactive when it comes to words, the BBMP is also equally stern. “Nobody can encroach the footpath. It is purely meant for pedestrian movement.

 We can evict anything that has encroached the footpath, creating nuisance to the public,” says K R Niranjan, BBMP Special Commissioner, But the truth has to be seen to be believed.

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The New Indian Express
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