BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Friday declined to interdict the ‘Safe Footpath Campaign’ launched by Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in July this year.
“The safe footpath campaign is for the purpose of ensuring that pedestrians are not obstructed on footpaths. We find no grounds to interdict the said campaign. This court has also issued directions in a pending proceeding for clearing footpaths that were encroached,” observed a division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice KS Hemalekha.
The court made these observations while referring to a prayer in the public interest litigation filed by R Rajagopalan as party-in-person, a city-based environmentalist.
The court issued notice to the state on the other prayer made by the petitioner to issue directions for implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. Let a status report be filed as to the current status of implementation of the Act, 2014, within four weeks, said the court, while adjourning the hearing to December 3.
The petitioner also prayed that a fund of Rs 25 crore be constituted for the health, welfare and restitution of street vendors who are displaced by following a quantification process. The court said the other prayers made by the petitioner are in the nature of what the petitioner considers, in his opinion, ought to be done. The court said it is not inclined to entertain these prayers in this petition.