Bengaluru reclaims 200 km of footpaths, internet split over street vendor evictions: 'Not be treated like immigrants'

BEngaluru's footpath encroachment clearance ride has sparked a deliberate online, with residents stock split betwixt welcoming safer, pedestrian-friendly streets and nurture concerns over the livelihoods of street vendors displaced by the campaign.In a post on X, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the Safe Footpath Campaign has reclaimed more than 200 km of footpaths across arterial and sub-arterial roads under all five city corporations over the past three days.Shivakumar said the initiative is aimed at making Bengaluru's streets "safer, more accessible and easier to navigate for every pedestrian," while Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda announced that ₹70 crore would be spent on repairing damaged footpaths to improve walkability. Gowda said the government is not evicting street vendors altogether but relocating them from major arterial and sub-arterial roads to ward roads. He added that future phases of the campaign would also target abandoned vehicles, illegal parking, construction debris, garbage blackspots and ramps built over footpaths that obstruct pedestrians.The minister said the drive was launched in response to long-standing public demand and Supreme Court directions, stressing that pedestrians are often forced onto roads due to encroachments, increasing the risk of accidents. He also appealed to commercial establishments that have encroached on footpaths to remove them voluntarily, saying the government's intention is not to disrupt livelihoods but to ensure safe public spaces.Supporters hail walkability pushThe drive has drawn praise from many Bengaluru residents, civic activists and former officials on social media platforms.Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao called the initiative "laudable", saying the city had long suffered from encroached footpaths. At the same time, he urged the government to create hawking zones and marketplaces for displaced vendors so they are not left without a source of income.Several social media users echoed similar views. One Bengaluru techie wrote that the campaign should be replicated across Indian cities and enforced continuously rather than as a one-time exercise.Another user said reclaiming public spaces was about giving footpaths back to pedestrians, not privatising them. On Reddit, some residents also shared positive feedback, saying they had noticed cleaner and obstruction-free footpaths around areas such as Mysore Bank Circle and KG Road. Others felt the campaign had made walking easier, even if only in pockets of the city.Critics seek vendor rehabilitationThe campaign has also attracted criticism. Some residents argued that the government was focusing on encroachments while larger civic issues such as potholes, poor drainage, waste management, water shortages and the lack of footpaths in many neighbourhoods remain unresolved. Others questioned why vendors were being removed before adequate alternative vending spaces had been created."The vendors needed an allocation elsewhere, not be treated like immigrants," one Bengaluru resident wrote on X. Another argued that authorities were clearing already walkable areas instead of building pavements where none exist.Civic activist Srinivas Alavalli also urged the government to adopt a more balanced approach.Responding to reports about the scale of the campaign, he said clearing "1,500 km sounds excessive and counterproductive" and could be difficult to enforce. Instead, he suggested keeping sub-arterial roads out of the drive, identifying vending zones as mandated by law, and building consensus with street vendor unions and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs)."Street vendors are also an integral part of our city and they exist because they are offering services that citizens need," he wrote on X.Even those backing the initiative said displaced vendors deserved rehabilitation. Many users said encroachments on footpaths cannot be justified, but authorities must ensure those dependent on street vending are provided designated hawking zones instead of losing their livelihoods overnight.Several users also stressed that the campaign should go beyond removing hawkers. They called for strict action against vehicles parked on footpaths, motorcycles riding on pavements, construction material dumped on walkways, illegal commercial extensions and garbage hotspots that make walking difficult.The debate has also centred on whether the campaign will have a lasting impact. While some Reddit users reported visible improvements, others said there had been little change in their localities. A common view was that sustained enforcement, not a one-time drive, would determine whether Bengaluru becomes meaningfully more walkable.Also Read: Walking on footpaths a fundamental right, Supreme Court saysWhat is the Opposition saying?The opposition has echoed similar concerns, saying the campaign should not be measured by the kilometres of footpaths cleared but by how many remain walkable months and years later.“Success of Bengaluru’s footpath clearance campaign will be measured not by the kilometres cleared, but by the kilometres that remain walkable in the long-run. Sustained enforcement must become a permanent mechanism to prevent re-encroachment and build a truly walkable city, ” BJP leader and Bengaluru MP PC Mohan said this.(With inputs from PTI)