While periodic anti-encroachment drives often see vendors returning within hours, the Sitabuldi Main Road market has emerged as a rare success story for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The civic body’s enforcement wing with the help of Sitabuldi Police has managed to keep the city’s busiest commercial hub clear of illegal hawkers through a strategy of uninterrupted surveillance and strategic team deployment. Despite the success in Sitabuldi, other major areas like Jhansi Rani Square, Wardha Road, and IT Park Road continue to struggle with recurring encroachments.

 

A recent crackdown led by Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar saw significant action at these junctions, yet ground reports indicate that at the time of anti-encroachment drives, many vendors often wait for the teams to depart before re-occupying the footpaths. This has been the story for decades, enforcement wing struggle to remove the illegal hawkers from the footpaths. 

 

 

 Sanjay Ganesh Kamble, Superintendent, NMC Enforcement Wing, said, “Unlike other areas where drives are periodic, the Sitabuldi stretch is under the watch of two dedicated shifts. One team maintains a presence from 10 am to 6 pm and a second team takes over from 2 pm to 10 pm.” “In Sitabuldi, we simply do not allow them to sit,” Kamble explained. This zero-tolerance approach ensures that vendors cannot reclaim footpaths once the initial drive is over. Currently, the enforcement wing operates with 15 teams, ten deployed from various zones and five specialised teams are working across ten zones to replicate this level of vigilance. However, citizens remains frustrated with the repeated menace. Citizens complain that these encroachments not only disturb the flow of traffic but also pose a serious risk for the safety of pedestrians, as they are forced to walk on busy streets.

 

Enforcement Wing of NMC told The Hitavada, to ensure that hotspots remain clear even after the standard day shifts end and to prevent vendors from occupying spaces after hours, the NMC is preparing to launch a Night Anti-Encroachment Drive. Proposed timing for the night drives includes 10 pm to 6 am. The administration is expected to issue formal orders regarding these night shifts soon.