Government criticised for turning a blind eye to rampant footpath encroachment, ‘neglect’ of Mysuru’s heritage

The Congress government in the State and the district administration has come under flak for their “inept” handling of civic and heritage issues pertaining to Mysuru.

Addressing a press conference here on December 27, L. Nagendra, BJP city unit president and former MLA, Raghu, BJP OBC Morcha leader, and former mayor Shivakumar, criticised the local authorities for allowing rampant and unchecked encroachment of footpaths in the city, thus diluting the heritage brand of Mysuru.

There is not only rampant encroachment, but unregulated street vending, which has compromised pedestrian safety, said the BJP leaders, pointing to a slew of such examples.

The footpaths in key areas — including Sayyaji Rao Road which cuts through the core tourism zone, and in residential areas like Saraswathipuram — had become virtually unusable for pedestrians. ‘’While hawking has traditionally been part of Mysuru’s urban fabric, the lack of a clear vending policy has resulted in chaos,’’ the BJP leaders lamented.

“There is a need for a structured hawking policy. Vendors must be given designated zones and protected, but the rights of pedestrians should be respected too. Today, shopkeepers themselves are dumping merchandise on footpaths, pushing people onto busy roads,” said Mr. Nagendra. The BJP leaders said footpaths had effectively turned into slums in several parts of the city, including around K.R. Hospital, along Sayyaji Rao Road, and Saraswathipuram, owing to the mushrooming of eateries on both sides of the roads.

While acknowledging the need for livelihoods, they demanded removal of hotels and eateries operating illegally on footpaths, especially where pedestrian movement has been completely blocked.

The police, they alleged, were “helpless spectators” focused on collecting traffic fines while failing to clear encroachments in the heart of the city.

With no elected councillors in place for nearly two years, they said the onus lays squarely on the Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner to take initiative. Questioning the delay, they demanded immediate conduct of civic elections. The BJP leaders also raised concern over encroachments and new layouts coming up around Chamundi Hills in the name of development, and called for conservation measures.

On heritage conservation, they accused the Siddaramaiah-led government of apathy. “Mysuru’s heritage is being diluted. The government sees the palace only as a source of revenue, not as a heritage monument,” Raghu alleged, adding that the Chief Minister, despite being from Mysuru, had failed to protect the city’s legacy.

They cited the dilapidated state of the old Deputy Commissioner’s office, the stalled restoration of Devaraja and Vani Vilas Markets, neglect of the Lansdowne Building, and the endangered condition of several other structures, including the Yuvaraja College, to drive home their point. No funds had been allocated for heritage conservation, they alleged, pointing to the unrepaired Saraswathipuram fire brigade building years after its collapse.