Following several complaints by pedestrians, Chief Civic Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath on Thursday ordered civic officials to clear all construction material, pipes, and other debris that have been lying on footpaths for a long time across the city by Sunday evening 4 p.m.
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The assistant executive engineer (AEE) concerned of BBMP wards have been asked to clear the material and send a report with geotagged photos before and after removal of the debris.
Leaving construction debris, storing building materials on footpaths or on the street side is a menace across the city. Civic agencies are culprits too. In several instances, large pipes are left by the road for months blocking traffic and pedestrians. Civic officials said those using the footpath or street sides to store building material like sand and bricks for a shorter duration need not fear and only those obstructing the pathway for a long time, left unattended will be removed. The BBMP has also appealed to the public to flag such instances to the AEE of their respective wards.
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Residents hope better implementation
The order by the BBMP commissioner has received good feedback from residents. Pavithra Gowda, resident of Koramangala, said: “Most times, pavements are encroached by debris, construction material, street vendors, or parked vehicles. Builders put pedestrians’ lives at risk.”
Prakash Kumar, from Banaswadi, said the BBMP has to take responsibility and make sure people who dump construction material are penalised. At the same time, residents constructing buildings should make sure they do not trouble pedestrians by dumping material on footpaths.
A senior official from BBMP said the builders have to make arrangements for storing material after completion of work. “Earlier, when such incidents were brought to our notice, a fine was collected from the offender and it was used to restore the footpath,” he added.