Bengaluru has 300 km of footpath encroachments pending, minister says

About 300 km of Bengaluru footpaths still await encroachment clearance, even after officials cleared 1,211 km, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Saturday.

Reviewing civic drives across the city, Gowda said the pace of footpath clearance had slowed and told officials to complete the pending work within the deadline set for them. He warned that officials found negligent in clearing garbage, vacant sites, abandoned vehicles and footpath encroachments could face disciplinary action; outsourced personnel could be removed from service.

The Freedom from Waste campaign will continue without a deadline, Gowda said. Its work should extend beyond large construction-and-demolition waste heaps to smaller roadside garbage piles, overgrown vegetation and bushes.

He also flagged gaps in action on abandoned vehicles. Officials had been asked to log complaints on the ASTRAM platform and issue notices, but several vehicles had not been recorded or served notices. Traffic police-seized vehicles often remain near police stations while court cases are pending; the Revenue Department is identifying land for dedicated storage sites.

In north Bengaluru, the corporation has added two Prahari patrol vehicles fitted with front- and rear-facing GPS-enabled cameras. The four-vehicle fleet will operate round the clock in two shifts to record illegal waste dumping and help officials identify violators for penalties.