Bengaluru footpath clearance: Street vendors meet minister, raise concerns

2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jul 11, 2026 09:08 PM IST

Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda (second from left) at the meeting with street vendor delegations. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement)

Delegations from various groups representing street vendors met Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda Thursday to put forth their concerns regarding the ongoing footpath clearance drive across the city.

This meeting came in the wake of a protest and strike called by the groups the previous day. The meeting was facilitated by former Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda, with the GBA chief commissioner also in attendance.

According to a statement released by the Beedhi Vyaparigala Janti Horata Samiti on behalf of the various vendor groups, “(We) conveyed that we are willing to work together with the government to resolve the problems arising from the ongoing eviction drive and the issues created by the Safe Footpath Campaign in the city… Supreme Court has held that street vending is a fundamental right and that the Supreme Court said rights of vendors and pedestrians might be harmonized…”

The Samiti noted that the minister had committed to a fresh survey of vendors and to re-examine the requirement of a Karnataka ration card for a vendor to be included in the said survey.

However, the statement noted that the vendors and Minister Byre Gowda differed on the question of relocating vendors back to their original locations, with the minister observing that vending on side roads could be permitted but not on the main road.

Further, he cited the issue of congestion and pedestrian deaths from traffic to continue evictions, with the vendors arguing that the deaths were mostly due to drunk driving and other factors not related to vendors.

Meanwhile, the minister posted on social media the same day, “The Footpath Clearance Initiative is not a clash between Bengaluru pedestrians and street vendors. Our core objective is to restore the right to walk on footpaths to the people of the city and to help street vendors continue their lives with dignity.”