Mangaluru: Street vendors pose problems on MG Road during Navaratri

Mangaluru: Street vendors pose problems on MG Road during Navaratri

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Oct 16, 2023: With the start of the Navaratri festival, Mangaluru city is gearing up for the climax of the nine-day festivity. A prime attraction of this festival is the famous Mangaluru Dasara procession on the last day. The procession with the idol of Godess Sharada, led by a large convoy of colourful tableaux, commences from Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatheshwara Temple and traverses the city, going past Ladyhill Junction, Saibeen Complex, PVS Junction, K. S. Rao Road, Car Street, and back to Kudroli for the immersion of the idol. The entire route of the procession has already been illuminated to create a festive atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

Now concerns are being raised by the citizens that the stretch of road outside the Officer’s Quarters at Hat Hill and opposite Pabbas Ice Cream Parlour could become a bottleneck due to the encroachment of the footpaths and parking areas by a large number of street vendors.

M.G. Road was supposedly widened to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic, and footpaths have been made to provide safe pathways for pedestrians to walk on. But a stretch of the road opposite Pabbas, barely 100 metres from the office of the Mangalore City Corporation, and one of the busiest roads in Mangalore, linking the northern part of the city to the city centre, has been fully taken over by vendors plying their wares. A large amount of stock can be seen stacked and displayed along the roadside. During the Navaratri season, when the parallel Kuloor Ferry Road gets blocked due to functions in the Kudroli temple, this road sees a huge overload as all the traffic from the parallel road gets diverted to this road, as it is the only road between North and South of Mangalore.

Prof. Narendra Nayak, one of the residents of the locality, who has raised a warning in his social media post: “The narrowing of the carriageway and the footpath also being occupied by these vendors and their vehicles is going to cause problems for the flow of traffic and pedestrians. While the road opposite the SBI branch is converted into paid parking, the footpath is converted into a book sale shop! The pedestrians have to walk on what is left of the carriageway."

It is hoped that the City Corporation authorities and the traffic police will take immediate action to clear the road and avert the imminent chaos during the festival period.