Footpath encroachment cleared on Jyoti Nivas College Road in Koramangala

Bengaluru

In a step to restore pedestrian rights and improve road safety, the Bengaluru South City Corporation carried out a footpath encroachment clearance drive on Jyoti Nivas College Road in Koramangala, removing illegal structures that had forced pedestrians onto the carriageway.

Acting on repeated complaints from residents’ associations and the general public, civic authorities cleared encroachments along a 1.1-km stretch of footpath. As part of the operation, seven petty shops and five pushcarts obstructing pedestrian movement were completely removed. Officials said the encroachments had caused serious inconvenience to walkers and also disrupted vehicular traffic, posing safety risks.

The operation was led by the Executive Engineers of the BTM Layout Division, supported by other engineering staff. Eight tractors and necessary machinery were deployed, while around 40 workers were engaged in the clearance work. For safety and law-and-order arrangements, five police personnel and two marshals were stationed at the site.

Officials reiterated that footpath encroachment is illegal and said similar enforcement drives would continue in the coming days to ensure unobstructed pedestrian movement across the city.

Earlier in the day, Bengaluru South City Corporation Commissioner K N Ramesh made a surprise visit to a park on 16th ‘A’ Main Road in HSR Layout to inspect street lights and park lighting. During the visit, residents and walkers flagged issues such as unauthorised vehicle parking, footpath encroachments, faulty street lights and other civic problems.

Responding to the grievances, the Commissioner said a structured process has been initiated to visit every ward, interact with citizens and issue on-the-spot directions to concerned officials wherever possible. Joint Commissioner Satish Babu, Chief Engineer K V Ravi and other officials were present during the visit.