Street food stalls encroaching on roads, a perennial woe: Residents

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Residents continue to flood officials with complaints against the street food stalls for encroaching on the city roads of Bengaluru but to no response.

For most of the residents near Gottigere service road, navigating through the lane post evening has become a tough job as they say the number of food stalls there, reportedly encroaching the road, attracts a wave of crowds. With many auto and taxi drivers parking it on the road to have their meals, these residents claim they are deprived of their safety.

“It is tough to walk on the service road when the cab drivers and other vehicle users allegedly park their vehicles in front of the shops, blocking the pavement. They claim there are multiple food stalls mushroomed in the last few years on this road with a lack of strict laws to curb such encroachments on the road. Ashok N, a resident of Gottigere, said the officials have turned Nelson’s eye to this regard.

“I love street foods and I often visit one of the stalls here in the evening. But it is hard for pedestrians to walk on the road with the vehicles parked, which is due to these stalls which encroach on the roads. I respect them for working hard and earning money honestly”, he said. There seems to be no temporary relief as even the police officials who are responsible to clear out such encroachments are acting oppositely, he added.

“I know this road as I stay close to it. The road is not well planned and people here barely follow the traffic rules after the Hulimavu signal, making it a nightmare for the citizens to cross the road at night”, another resident told News Trail. The BBMP officials were unavailable for comments.