Bengaluru BESCOM Cleanup Targets Safer Public Footpaths
Bengaluru’s electricity utility is accelerating the removal of obsolete electrical infrastructure from public spaces, with BESCOM reporting that about 80% of its planned clearance and cleaning work has been completed. The exercise is targeting footpath obstructions, unused equipment and poorly maintained utility installations, highlighting how basic infrastructure management can directly affect pedestrian safety and the quality of Bengaluru’s streets.
The work continued across several parts of the city on August 23, including Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar, Hebbal, Koramangala, Nagawara, Whitefield and Mahadevapura. BESCOM teams also carried out cleaning around electrical installations and modified gas-operated switch rods to improve their positioning above pedestrian level. Since August 1, BESCOM has removed 1,535 electricity poles, six transformer centres and nine other redundant infrastructure elements, according to figures released during the campaign. It has also modified 1,758 gas-operated switch rods and undertaken cleaning work across thousands of distribution transformer, ring main unit and pole-related yards. The Bengaluru BESCOM cleanup comes as the wider city administration is attempting to reclaim public space through its month-long cleanliness and footpath clearance campaign. The Greater Bengaluru Authority has been coordinating with multiple agencies, including BESCOM, as part of efforts to remove waste, encroachments and other obstructions from streets and pedestrian corridors. For pedestrians, the significance is straightforward. Electricity poles, transformer structures and associated equipment can narrow already constrained footpaths, forcing people to walk closer to moving traffic.
The problem is particularly important for older people, children, wheelchair users and those carrying goods or travelling with luggage. The Bengaluru BESCOM cleanup also exposes a broader infrastructure-planning issue. Utility networks are often installed according to engineering requirements, while pedestrian accessibility is addressed later, if at all. As the city becomes denser, electricity infrastructure needs to be designed and maintained with the full street corridor in mind rather than treated as an isolated technical asset. Maintenance after clearance will be equally important. BESCOM has indicated that line personnel will undertake cleaning around transformer installations every week or fortnight. Such preventive maintenance could reduce the accumulation of vegetation, waste and other material around electrical equipment while helping prevent public spaces from deteriorating again. The initiative also has implications for Bengaluru’s broader sustainability goals. Reclaiming footpaths can encourage walking and improve the effectiveness of public transport, reducing dependence on short private-vehicle trips. However, that benefit will depend on whether cleared spaces remain unobstructed and are connected through continuous, accessible pedestrian routes.
With the citywide campaign approaching its final week, the next test is permanence.Bengaluru does not simply need periodic clearance drives; it needs coordinated utility planning, routine maintenance and clear responsibility for keeping pedestrian infrastructure usable. The value of the current work will ultimately be measured by whether residents continue to find safer, more accessible streets after the campaign ends.
