South Bengaluru road repaired but footpaths lost to vendors

Bengaluru: After years of struggle, people living along Holiday Village Road at Mallasandra, off Kanakapura Road, have finally seen some relief with the road improvement work nearing completion, but a new problem has cropped up almost immediately — encroachment of footpaths.Locals say all kinds of shops have come up along the road, occupying the footpaths. They add that vehicles are parked on the road because of vendors selling tea and fast food, further slowing down traffic.When TOI visited the area, there were at least five street vendors occupying the footpaths. A few pedestrians were seen walking on the road because of a lack of space on the footpaths.The residents say despite multiple complaints since Feb, no action has been taken by civic authorities. They add that the problem has worsened with the concretisation of the 2.5km stretch. Resident Gayathri Paptimar filed a complaint with Lokayukta on April 23 against two senior Bengaluru South City Corporation officials, alleging failure to remove the encroachments.Meena RK, president of Purva Highland Residents' Welfare Association, which comprises 1,097 flats, said: "After three years of struggle, we finally got a proper road, but now vendors are encroaching upon footpaths. We've been raising objections and approached officials and also police with letters. While they hear us out, nothing really happens on the ground."