The city corporation began an anti-encroachment drive on Thursday by removing all small shops constructed illegally near LBS Market in the city.
The corporation removed several shops located opposite M.R. Hotel by using heavy machinery and labourers. City corporation Commissioner Harsha Shetty said the shops were being removed to clear the road for traffic.
He said the decision to remove the shops was taken during a meeting of the Town Vending Committee chaired by Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Shettannavar.
He said that in the past, a decision had been taken to relocate the shops located on the road between Tipu Sultan Circle and M.G. Circle to the lane opposite M.R. Hotel. “But we later came to know that many shop owners not only kept their old shops but also set up new ones opposite M.R. Hotel. This was conveyed to us by some of the shop owners themselves. After this, we held a meeting, where it was decided that the shops located opposite the hotel would be removed,” Mr. Shetty said.
He said that August 16 was set as the last date for hawkers to get themselves registered with the corporation and avail ID cards as part of the regularisation process. According to him, only around 1,500 shop owners registered; nearly 3,000 did not take the notice seriously.
“Finally, we decided to take action and got the shops removed from the area. It will ease traffic movement. The space could also be used for parking,” he said.
To a question, Mr. Shetty said the corporation has identified five hawker zone in the city for hawkers to set up their stalls legally. He added that the drive would be continued in the coming days, in order to regularise shops and provide wider space for traffic and parking in the city.
