Safe pedestrian infrastructure should not come at the cost of the livelihoods: Civil society groups
A coalition of civil society groups has urged the Karnataka government to halt eviction drives against street vendors in Bengaluru. They argue that pedestrian infrastructure improvements should not come at the expense of the livelihoods of the urban poor.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the tension between urban development goals and the rights of informal workers in rapidly growing cities.
A coalition of several society organisations has written to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, requesting the State government to halt blanket eviction drives against street vendors and first fully implement the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the organisations said Bengaluru needed safer and more accessible streets but argued that improving pedestrian infrastructure “should never come at the cost of the livelihoods of the urban poor.”
The signatories, including Workers Collective for Climate Justice South Asia, Public Transport Forum, Center for Policy Research, said the city must prioritise investments in continuous footpaths, accessible public spaces and reliable public transport while discouraging excessive dependence on private vehicles through stricter enforcement against illegal parking and better parking management.
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