Bengaluru vendors block way of ambulances
BENGALURU:East Park Road in Malleswaram is buzzing with activity, and that’s how it’s been for several years now. With multiple temples on the street - which is about 16ft wide — people flock from all over the city to visit the holy spots.
However, this street has been giving residents of Malleswaram a lot of grief, they say, as there is no space to walk, and to take their vehicles in or out. With the post office and a Nandini milk booth on that street, most residents need to use that road on an everyday basis.
But with street vendors occupying almost 12ft of it on either side, it’s impossible for even one person to comfortably walk, say residents.
gets crowded at night. This picture is taken
during the day when vendors are just starting
to set their stalls
“No one can take their vehicles into that street. Even ambulances, autos, cabs and the post office van can’t go in or get out. The corporator and MLA in this locality know about it, but they’re not doing anything about the fact that street vendors have occupied that entire street,” says Gopal Rao, a member of the Malleswaram residents welfare association.
He adds that some of these street vendors even live on that street and put stalls outside their homes and block the path.
“By around 7pm, that road road is impossible to enter, and there’s no footpath for us to walk on either. No one is taking any action, the corporator and MLA don’t even show their faces, apart from when it’s election time,” says MA Sundar, who has been living in Malleswaram for the last 63 years.
He says that what makes the situation even worse is when people come on their two-wheelers to buy their groceries from the street vendors.
“If the common zoning regulations that the state government is proposing gets into place, the situation will further deteriorate,” adds Sundar.
MK Krishna, who has been living in Malleswaram for over 60 years and was a campaigner during the steel flyover issue, says that people with disabilities and senior citizens suffer the most, as ambulances can’t enter the street, nor can any vehicles in case of emergencies.
“The corporator and MLA are opportunists, and even the police officers who stand nearby, on 10th cross, only come when they have to collect money from the vendors – which is how the vendors are continuing with their business in the first place. And in the evenings, when there are more than a lakh people on that street, it’s impossible to enter,” says Krishna.
He adds that walking on that road after 9pm is dangerous, as street dogs attack people.
City Express spoke to the local MLA, Dr Ashwath Narayana, he told us that he is willing to hear the complaints of the residents, and that a solution is being worked on.
“The traffic, law and order, health and other departments should be involved in coming up with solutions, not just us. We are currently working on a rehabilitation programme for the vendors, as technically, them being there is violating High Court regulations. Many times they’ve been asked to clear out of there, but a few days after, they return,” says Narayana.