Mysore/Mysuru: Following complaints of footpath encroachment by vendors around Mysore Palace and Sayyaji Rao Road (Raja Marga) in the heart of the city, Mayor Shivakumar has said that the clearance drive will be conducted tomorrow (July 19).

This follows an inspection carried out by Corporators and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Officers under the leadership of Mayor last evening.

The inspection was carried out on footpath near KR Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road up to Government Ayurveda College Circle, inside Makkaji Chowk and around the Palace, following which the Mayor directed the Officers to clear the vendors doing business encroaching upon footpath space.

It was also directed to allow vendors to set up stalls only on one side of the footpath on Sayyaji Rao Road (abutting Devaraja Market) and clear the vendors on the other side of the footpath.

Mayor Shivakumar told Star of Mysore that “Following the hue and cry of Corporators in the recent Council meeting demanding action against unabated menace of footpath vendors on Sayyaji Rao Road and around Palace severely inconveniencing the public and tourists alike, I had assured to carry out the inspection. Accordingly the inspection is conducted along with the Commissioner. It is difficult to access the road to  Sayyaji Rao Road and Makkaji Chowk. So, I have directed the Officers to clear footpath vendors on one side of the footpath on Sayyaji Rao Road and the footpath vendors around Mysore Palace.”

The clearance drive will start from around Mysore Palace. While on one side of the footpath on Sayyaji Rao Road, attached to Devaraja Market, fruits and vegetables are sold, on the other side garments are sold. It has become inevitable to evict them as pedestrians are finding it difficult to make way among garment and other vendors, he stated.

“A footpath clearance drive had been undertaken earlier, only to see the return of vendors in the later days. This time, we have decided to take up the clearance drive with the support of all the Corporators by pondering over the issue in the Council meeting. As the handicrafts and several other attractive items are sold within the Palace precincts, there is no need to sell them on the footpath, which is proving troublesome for tourists,” he said.

MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, Deputy Mayor Dr. G. Roopa, MCC Finance Standing Committee Chairperson Shanthakumari, Chairman of Public Health, Education and Social Justice Standing Committee Savitha, Corporators M.D. Nagaraj and C. Vedavathi, MCC Health Officer Dr. D. G. Nagaraj, Environment Engineers S. Mytri and Jyothi were present.