BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s latest attempt to reclaim its footpaths is running into the problem that has defeated several civic drives before it — what happens after the officials leave?The Greater Bengaluru Authority launched the Safe Footpath Campaign in July to address encroachments and obstructions to pedestrian walkways across all five municipal corporations of the city. The campaign was designed to restore footpaths and improve pedestrian safety.Authorities cleared encroachments off long stretches of footpaths on the drive. The report said over 200km had been reclaimed across arterial and sub-arterial roads in a July report.But the latest situation on the ground points to a familiar problem. A month after the campaign began, illegal vendors and other encroachments are returning to several stretches, raising questions over the sustainability of the clearances.The story of Bengaluru’s footpaths is less about how many kilometers have been cleared and more about whether the city can keep them clear.Encroachment is only part of the problem. Footpaths can also be blocked by parked vehicles, utility installations, construction material, debris and other permanent or temporary obstructions.So the civic authorities have been looking outside street vendors. The minister for Greater Bengaluru Development has also asked Bescom to identify electricity-related obstacles on footpaths, which are to be removed as part of the larger civic drive.The problem is enforcement in the city. A clearance operation can bring about a rapid visual change, but without continued monitoring, the same space can quickly become unserviceable once more.That makes a difference for pedestrians. A footpath that is clear on the day of inspection, but obstructed a week later, does not provide a reliable walking route.So the surest test for Bengaluru’s campaign will be an easy before-and-after audit: Go back to the roads where encroachments were cleared and see if the space is still free for pedestrians.If the city can maintain the reclaimed stretches, the campaign could be a model for sustained pedestrian enforcement. Otherwise it risks becoming another round of clearance, return and clearance again.
