Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda along with GBA and traffic police officers at a meeting on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Special Arrangement)The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Wednesday announced that in coordination with the traffic police, it will conduct a ‘Safe Footpath Campaign’ between July 1 and 10 spanning a 2,000 km road network in the city.The announcement of the new campaign follows the ‘#1KmChallenge’ being held this month, under which residents are being urged to walk for trips under 1 km instead of choosing motorised transport.After holding a meeting with GBA and Bengaluru city traffic officers, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda Wednesday said that Rs 70 crore has already been allocated for repair works and level corrections of footpaths.“The money will be exclusively devoted to the repair works of existing footpaths and not for the construction of any new pedestrian ways,” he added.Gowda also said that footpaths are not meant for parking vehicles and warned that erring vehicles will be towed away.The minister said the “Supreme Court had clearly stated that the right to walk on a footpath is a fundamental right of every citizen, and had directed all local bodies across states to implement this.”Citing traffic police data, the minister said 30 per cent of every 1,000 road accident deaths reported in Bengaluru are pedestrians.Story continues below this adAsking commercial establishments to clear signboards and other encroachments from footpaths before the launch of the drive, Gowda said, “If encroachments continue beyond that date (June 30), the corporation will remove them and impose heavy penalties as per rules.”Talking about road repair, the Karnataka minister said GBA officials have been directed to fill potholes scientifically using the box-cutting method — cutting the affected area, filling with gravel, and tarring to match the level of the road surface. Unnecessary speed breakers near signals must also be removed, and no buses or other vehicles should be permitted to stop within 75 metres of traffic signals, Gowda added.