Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal on Saturday said the police will soon launch ‘footpath for pedestrians’ drive against footpath encroachments in the city.
Responding to complaints during his phone-in programme about encroachments by street vendors, shops, and others, as a consequence of which pedestrians are put to hardship, Mr. Agrawal said once the festival was over, continuous drive would be undertaken in association with the Mangaluru City Corporation.
Besides putting pedestrians’ lives at risk by forcing them to walk on roads, such encroachments also cause traffic hurdles, he noted. Footpath encroachment around the Lady Goschen Hospital in Hampanakatte would be cleared in a fortnight, he said.
Responding to a complaint about shrill horns, Mr. Agrawal said the police have identified 15 places in the city through a survey, which would be declared as ‘horn-free’ zones. The pilot of such a project around the Lady Goschen Hospital received good response and more such places, including hospitals, educational institutions, residential areas etc., will be covered under this ambit, he said.
To another complaint about city and service buses not halting at the designated stops, the Commissioner directed the traffic police to book cases against the crew of such buses.
He also directed them to verify if autorickshaw drivers operating out of prepaid counters at Mangaluru Central and Junction were collecting excess fare and to take action if the complaints were true.
The phone-in received 32 calls with complaints including city bus Route Nos. 44 and 17 not plying to Akrabail in Kunjathabail, nuisance by beggars and sexual minorities near the Clock Tower, parking of cars of a showroom on roadside at Kuntikana affecting traffic movement, buses stopping in front of Karnataka Bank, Kodialbail branch at the junction of V.T. Road and K.S. Rao Road affecting vehicular movement, absence of dividers on Bunts Hostel-PVS Road etc. The Commissioner promised to initiate suitable action in such cases.
Deputy Commissioners of Police Siddarth Goyal and B.P. Dinesh Kumar and others were present.
