Mumbai, July 14 -- The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) continued a footpath clearance drive across the city on Wednesday, with officials from the five city corporations removing encroachments and working to improve pedestrian infrastructure. The operation covered 47 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads and involved heavy machinery including a JCB to remove kiosks encroaching on footpaths. The initiative formed part of sustained efforts to restore continuous pedestrian corridors.

Teams focused on structures and installations that narrowed or obstructed pavements, prioritising locations where pedestrian movement and safety were most affected. Removal work targeted kiosks, temporary stalls and unauthorised fittings that had reduced usable footpath width and impeded access for people with mobility needs. Cleared material and equipment were processed in accordance with municipal procedures and sites were photographed and recorded for accountability.

Coordination among the five city corporations enabled simultaneous action across multiple wards and minimised prolonged disruption to vehicular flow during peak hours. Officials also attended to immediate repairs and levelling of paved surfaces to restore safe walking gradients and continuity. Traffic management measures were deployed at busy junctions to ensure commuter safety while work progressed.

Officials described the exercise as part of ongoing urban maintenance that follows earlier drives which covered significant stretches of the city, aiming to create accessible footpaths and enhance road safety. The authority indicated continued monitoring and enforcement to prevent recurrence of encroachments and to maintain pedestrian priority. Residents were urged to use restored pathways and report further obstructions to local civic offices.

Civic records of cleared sites will assist follow-up enforcement and permit restoration projects such as installation of tactile paving and demarcation for pedestrian priority where required. The municipal agencies plan periodic inspections and community outreach to discourage reoccupation of cleared spaces and to sensitise traders to designated vending zones. Longer term, authorities aim to integrate footpath upgrades into wider urban planning to balance commercial activity and pedestrian safety.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.