HC notice to Palike on illegal shops on footpath, drain

The High Court on Wednesday ordered that a notice be issued to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on a petition for evicting small-time vendors from a footpath and a storm water drain (SWD) near the ESI hospital in Rajajinagar.

Geeta Mishra and other residents of the locality have moved the High Court seeking clearance of encroachments on the 17th main road at 4th cross which leads to the ESI hospital. They argued that the shops had encroached upon the footpath as well as the drain, thus depriving them of a pavement to walk on.

The residents also informed the High Court that the BBMP failed to clamp down on encroachments, though they made representations to it on at least occasions—April 24 2010, and May 11, 2015. Their counsel, G R Mohan, submitted that the illegal vendors had also encroached upon the SWD by setting up 30 bunker shops. He also claimed the place had become a den of anti-social elements. The counsel cited a High Court order of January 12, 2015, which stated that footpaths and SWDs be cleared of encroachments. He sought similar relief in this matter.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna ordered the issuance of notice to the BBMP.