BENGALURU: Metro commuters and local residents, who use the footpath on Swami Vivekananda Road just outside Halasuru Metro Station, are having a nightmarish time. Dug a few weeks ago by BBMP to clean the drains and to elevate the height of the existing footpaths, the work ground to a halt in the last week. Eateries and small shops along the stretch towards Indiranagar have put up their wares on the footpath. The management of Oyo Townhouse, a lodge, has taken the encroachment to another level.
They have kept flower pots on the flight of stairs at the entrance up to the footpath and also placed huge stones in front of the building. Their customers’ vehicles also take up space on the footpath. Sheela Neelakanth, who is pregnant, heading from Halasuru to Vijaynagar Metro Station, said, “If the government wants to improve the footpath, some alternative arrangement should have been done. We are forced to walk on the roads in traffic, endangering our lives.”
Lloyd Michael, employed at a courier firm off the main road, alleged, “The cops just look the other way even though vendors take up space on footpaths.” Owners of shops in the vicinity are quite upset. “We are trying to recover from the losses the pandemic caused. If BBMP digs in front of my shop and leave it unattended for days, no customer will come in. We do not know whom to approach for help,” said a medical shop owner.
K Naseem of Best Watch Service operating here for decades said, “This is a packed residential area. People are forced to walk on the roads risking their lives.” Akash Gupta, who is in a senior position at Townhouse, conceded that the property did not have a dedicated parking space but claimed the space on the road being used belonged to them.
BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said, “I will ensure work is completed at once and all encroachments are removed.”Asked if anything could be done to ease the woes of Metro commuters, BMRCL CPRO B L Yashavanth Chavan said the footpaths outside the station were BBMP’s responsibility. The Mayor could not be reached for comments.