Pavement space is a precious commodity in Bengaluru, one that residents in neighbourhoods have been fighting for.
In yet another violation, a five-storey building is coming up at the ISRO Junction near Marathahalli, encroaching the footpath.
While the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has now taken cognisance of this and issued a notice to the building owner, residents are questioning why it did nothing to stop or prevent its construction.
Madhesha, an autorickshaw driver, pointed out that with the building encroaching the entire footpath, pedestrians are forced to use the busy service road. “An accident waiting to happen as both motorists and pedestrians are inconvenienced,” he said. Despite these issues, construction is continuing unabated, with workers claiming there are no violations.
A senior BBMP official said they had sent a notice seeking documents from the building owner. With no response from the building owner, a second notice was issued.
“We will give the building owner another week to respond, failing which we will demolish it and reclaim the footpath,” he said.