Mangaluru: Chairing a meeting with councillors and police on traffic issues on February 16, Mayor Divakar Pandeshwar announced that the Mangaluru City Corporation and the police will jointly re-launch the drive to remove encroachments from pavements in the city on February 18.
He said that the street vendors cannot operate on the footpath, which is meant for pedestrians to move freely. Divakar added that he or other councillors will not interfere when the encroachments are removed.
MCC Commissioner Akshy Sridhar said “a dedicated team of officials have been formed for the city and Surathkal and they will be coordinating with the police in the footpath clearance drive,” responding to the demand by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Vinay Gaonker.
Gaonker said that a committee comprising police and corporation officials have been formed to review the 54 notified no-parking zones. “We initially notified 61 no-parking zones and revised it to bring it down to 54. If problems are found in any of the 54 no-parking zones, we are ready to further modify our orders,” he said. Sridhar said that following the review, the corporation will install necessary road signages and make appropriate road markings.
Sridhar said that the corporation will take the necessary help and consultation needed from the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka and other academic institutions about road works, before taking the necessary steps.
Councillor Naveen R. D’Souza pointed out that despite widening the stretch between Kankanady Circle and Falnir, it is not of much use as many street vendors are operating on the stretch whose customers park on both sides of the road. Another councillor pointed out street vendors selling vegetables and fish on the Airport Road.
