SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Bengaluru: Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has directed civic authorities to take strict action against street vendors who return to footpaths after encroachments have been cleared. He instructed officials to seize the goods of repeat offenders, impose fines and register FIRs against those who reoccupy cleared pedestrian spaces.
The minister said continuous monitoring was essential to ensure that footpaths cleared of encroachments remain accessible to pedestrians. He directed officials to act immediately if street vendors are found setting up shops again on roadsides or pedestrian pathways.
According to officials, encroachment clearance drives have already been carried out across the five municipal corporation jurisdictions. A total of 1,373.32 km of roads have reportedly been cleared of encroachments to facilitate the movement of pedestrians.
While appreciating the work undertaken by civic officials, Gowda expressed concern over reports that vendors were returning to some locations after enforcement teams had cleared the footpaths. He said such instances should not be allowed to continue and called for a coordinated enforcement mechanism.
Minister for joint task forces
The minister directed each municipal corporation jurisdiction to establish joint task forces involving police and civic officials. These teams should regularly inspect the cleared stretches and conduct surprise checks to identify fresh encroachments.
He also called for a system under which fresh encroachments are documented immediately through photographs and geo-tagged information. Such records, he said, would help authorities track repeat violations and ensure accountability among enforcement teams.
Gowda further instructed civic marshals and beat police personnel to conduct joint inspections at regular intervals. If vendors are found to have reoccupied cleared footpaths, their goods should be seized and fines imposed.
The minister also directed officials to register FIRs in cases of re-encroachment. The instructions are aimed at preventing cleared pedestrian pathways from being occupied again and ensuring that footpaths remain available for public use.
Officials have been asked to strengthen coordination between civic bodies and the police so that action against repeat encroachment is taken promptly rather than only during periodic clearance drives.
SOURCE : SIASAT
