“Are your officers blind?” HC asks BBMP commissioner

The footpath that has been encroached by street vendors at K.R. Market in Bengaluru. File Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash.

Are all your engineers and officers blind? the Karnataka High Court posed this question to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana on Wednesday.

The question was placed by the court after a series of photographs were presented to it showing various structures that were illegally encroaching footpaths in the city. The photos were placed in front of the court which was hearing Public Interest Litigations about poor conditions of footpaths in Bengaluru.

Following the commissioner’s assurance that he would initiate action against erring officials, the Court asked him to submit a report on such disciplinary action taken in such cases.