MLA, City Top Cop call for crackdown on footpath, roadside encroachments

Mysore/Mysuru: A tragic accident in Vivekanandanagar on Thursday has triggered public outrage after an elderly scooterist was fatally run over by a KSRTC city bus.

The victim, D.J. Parshwanathiah (81) of Srirampura, had reportedly halted his scooter to buy vegetables and milk. After the purchase, while attempting to navigate a narrow stretch choked by roadside vendors on one side and moving traffic on the other, his vehicle came into contact with bus and the bus brushed his two-wheeler.

The impact caused him to lose balance and fall under the rear wheel, resulting in fatal injuries. Eyewitnesses alleged that unauthorised vending had consumed not just the entire footpath but nearly a quarter of the road itself, leaving little space for motorists and pedestrians.

They blamed the MCC and the Traffic Police for failing to clear encroachments or implement safety measures despite repeated complaints. “If there had been enough space, the senior citizen could have passed safely,” said one witness, calling the accident “avoidable.”

Residents pointed out that such roadside encroachments are rampant across Mysuru, endangering pedestrians and motorists alike. They urged authorities to act decisively, warning that civic apathy was turning city roads into “death traps.”

MLA, City Top Cop inspect

Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar inspected the accident site yesterday, amid allegations that the congested road space caused by unauthorised vending had triggered the accident.

During the visit, she directed MCC officials to ban vending along accident-prone stretch and relocate vendors to designated areas. She was accompanied by DCP (Crime & Traffic) K.S. Sundar Raj, Traffic ACP Shivashankar and others senior officers.

Meanwhile, Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa also urged immediate preventive measures. He, along with Traffic ACP Shivashankar, KR Traffic Inspector Mahadevaswamy, KSRTC Mysuru Division DC H.T. Veeresh and civic officials, conducted inspections of key high-risk junctions, including Agrahara Circle, Nanjumalige Junction and M.A. Sreenivasan Circle.

Referring to Thursday’s fatal accident, Srivatsa stressed the need for heightened vigilance by transport authorities and directed the Police to map accident-prone areas and implement traffic-safety interventions.

Krishnaraja BJP President U.G. Gopal Raj Urs and local party leaders Jayaram, Jaishankar, Pradeep Kumar, Keerthi and others joined the inspection.