Encroachments on footpaths pose a hazard for pedestrians.
Story so far: Footpaths are for pedestrians to safely walk on. However, the sidewalk on Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road has public toilets built on them. The high court had ordered the BBMP to remove all encroachments from footpaths. Here’s the thing, it seems the BBMP forgot about its partnership with a private company to construct the public toilet on the footpath.
- Social activist MG Vasudeva Rao brought this to the BBMP’s attention, but nothing was done. Another activist criticised the BBMP and the traffic police for their negligence and for not taking care of pedestrians.
- It’s not just a public toilet; other places have milk booths and drinking water units in place, blocking the path. While the intention is good, the BBMP didn’t do its due diligence before constructing the toilet.
Failure of officials: The police didn’t bother to take note of the toilet and other encroachments. The chief minister also referred a social campaigner’s letter to the joint commissioner of police, but nothing happened.