Wares from big shops occupy footpaths, while small vendors fear eviction in Shivajinagar

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Encroached footpaths by shopkeepers and street vendors on Meenakshi Kovil Street in Shivajinagar compel pedestrians to walk on the road, raising safety concerns, in Bengaluru on August 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K.

The footpath clearance drives across the city, following directions from Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, appear to have changed little on the ground, with commercial establishments continuing to use footpaths for business.

In Shivajinagar, the footpath along Lady Curzon Road was cleared amidst chaos and high drama after private persons assaulted Central Corporation officials overseeing the clearance. Mr. Gowda had said it would not hamper their drive, prompting Central Corporation Commissioner G. Jagadeesha to visit the spot and oversee the drive personally.

Now, just 50 metres away from Lady Curzon Road, the footpaths along the busy Central Street are nearly impossible to access as furniture shops have encroached upon the walkway, placing chairs, tables, bean bags and other furniture on the footpath.

This particular stretch is used by thousands of people every day, as the Shivajinagar Bus Stop is a few metres away, and it connects to M.G. Road Metro Station and Commercial Street.

Shradha Prakash, who works at a private company on Church Street, said, “It’s not all shops, but several of them have encroached on footpaths, which means that the individual accessing the walkway is forced to get down on the road and then climb up the footpath again. Instead, many times people walk on the road, which is highly unsafe because that stretch is always traffic-clogged

“Not just Central Street, even Infantry Road has such shops, which have encroached on footpaths.”

Arun, who works at a firm on Infantry Road, explained that because several commercial establishments are located along the stretch, their employees take walks during the day and many of them avoid Central Street. “There are several condiment shops along that stretch, so the employees step out for a beverage. It would be helpful for many if the Central Street footpaths are cleared,” he said.

Meanwhile, street vendors and hawkers in the area fear being evicted or even having their carts removed.

Abhishek Kumar, a juice seller with a cart near Infantry Road, said that he does his business with a sense of fear, especially after hearing about the shops that were destroyed last month. “I get good business here because many come for juice after their lunch, and I always finish the load of sweet lime I bring every day. I fear losing business if I move to another place,” he said.

Calls to the Central Corporation Commissioner and its in-charge engineer went unanswered. However, another source in the corporation said that they had warned all furniture shops when they conducted the clearance drive last month, and that the shops had removed all the furniture at that time, and that they were yet to take up clearance of Central Street.

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