HC: BBMP cannot neglect pedestrians

HC seeks report on implementation of Supreme Court’s directive on street vendors

The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the BBMP to submit a report on how it has been implementing the Supreme Court’s 2009 directive on street vendors and also provisions of the newly enacted Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri issued the direction while hearing a PIL petition on the poor condition of footpaths and encroachment of pedestrian ways.

The counsel for petitioners pointed out that street vendors had been given some protection by the SC through a series of guidelines issued in 2009. The earlier direction of the Court to evict encroachers without any notice was impacting the protection given to street vendors under the law.

The Bench questioned the BBMP on implementation of the law on street vendors, like identification of hawking zones, while making it clear that it could not neglect the right and safety of pedestrians while protecting the interests of hawkers.

Mariam Kouser

In another case, the State told the court that three-year-old Mariam Kouser is now out of coma and the government was willing to help her parents. The girl had slipped into coma after being operated at the State-run Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics Centre in December last.

The government told the court that the girl’s family members had not approached authorities for any help.

A statement in this regard was filed during a PIL petition that highlighted the plight of Mariam’s parents.

The Bench converted the PIL into a regular petition as the girl’s father has now approached the court, and referred the case to a single judge bench.