It is a mystery that none of the governments so far have tried to revamp the area, says Phanendra, shopkeeper
Bengaluru: The government may have grand plans to rebuild the city’s infrastructure with expensive steel flyovers and international-standard rail networks, but for residents living near Neelasandra, Vannarpet and Austin Town, the same old nightmare continues.
Phanendra, a resident of Austin Town, said, “For years, I have walked through all sorts of garbage - from rotting leftover vegetable waste to construction debris — on Neelasandra Main Road. Despite living in the locality for nearly a decade, I haven’t seen a small change or any improvement for the better. Is it so difficult to clean up a locality?”
“These areas have been a hub for illegal hawkers and hundreds of vendors occupy footpaths. Nothing less than a mall, actually, with vegetables, fruits, utensils, clothes, shoes, meat and even fuel sold on the road!
“It is a mystery that none of the governments so far have tried to revamp the area. Good roads, wide footpaths and new announcements make no difference to us because our problems are small, but there is no solution. We don’t have a single footpath to walk on as they are all completely encroached upon by illegal hawkers. Every time we walk on the road, it’s a gamble, a risk we take for our lives,” adds Phanendra.
The encroached-upon footpaths aren’t the only irritant. ‘Mobile’ mechanics and garages that run on the road, have added to the confusion, says Siraj, a daily commuter on this road.
He explains, “Commuting on Neelasandra Main Road has never been easy despite introducing one-way and widening the road. Hawkers and mechanics seem to have taken seriously the saying that roads are for all. They run garages on the road! Peak hours are worrisome on any given day. It takes nothing less than 30 minutes to cross Neelasandra Circle from Austin Town. The road is dangerous too.”
For those who tried to approach the corporators, BBMP officials and traffic police to resolve the matter, it was obvious that they were not too interested in finding any solution. Malathi, a resident of Vannarpet, says political-high-handedness ensured that the interests of the vendors were protected for vote bank reasons.
“An encroachment removal drive was held a few months ago just to make it look like they were doing something, but the vendors were back at the same spot the very next day! There was no action taken to stop them. It’s unfortunate that even the local leaders are not interested in improving the area. Now, there’s no hope at all,” she adds.
People who complain buy from these hawkers: Balakrishnan G
DC talks to Neelasandra ward corporator Balakrishnan G.
Excerpts.
Despite complaint regarding hawker menace for so many years, why they haven’t been relocated?
Where is the space to relocate them? As it is there is a lack of open space in Bengaluru. Where will these hawkers go? They are on the main road because it earns them a living. They come in the morning and leave by evening. Should they be troubled?
Traffic is affected and footpaths are encroached upon. Why trouble the citizens when the Supreme Court says a common space has to be identified for hawkers?
People who complain buy most of their essentials from the same hawkers. It’s a love-hate relationship. Their complaints are nothing when compared to the convenience! Which is why, these hawkers made a comeback although there was an encroachment removal drive recently.
Why wasn’t the drive successful?
Like I said, these people had nowhere else to go and the people who bought daily essentials from them didn’t mind their return. So the drive never made any impact.
