As part of its efforts to restore pedestrian pavements in the city, the Kollam Corporation has removed an array of encroachments on major city roads as part of Operation Easy Walk, a two-day drive that concluded on Thursday.
“A slew of makeshift structures and eateries had been encroaching upon nearly half the width of many roads, causing inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists. We have been getting complaints about ‘thattukadas’ and bunks mushrooming daily and Operation Easy Walk is an attempt to make our roads clutter-free,” said Kollam Mayor V. Rajendrababu.
The civic body, with the help of the Police and Revenue departments, has been focussing on the stretch from Kadappakada to Chandanathoppe, District Hospital premises and various roads on Chinnakkada.
“You can see that there is no footpath in many areas at Chinnakkada,” he adds. According to Corporation officials, the drive was launched when they found that various gangs were taking money from vendors by renting out illegal structures.
“Currently many persons have encroached upon the road and built permanent structures. They are renting it out to street vendors. Some structures function as eateries during day and at night they are used as places to sleep. They charge up to ₹500 a day for these structures on the Link Road and the road near General Hospital.”
Unhygienic food
Another major concern of the authorities is the quality of food provided by these makeshift eateries. “The illegal eateries that open during evening hours are not hygienic. They will not be allowed to function and fish vendors sitting on roadside will not be entertained as we have markets for that,” he says.
Mr. Rajendrababu adds that after the drive the Corporation will identify genuine vendors and rehabilitate them. “They will be relocated to another area where they can function without causing traffic congestion or inconveniencing pedestrians.”