Thane Municipal Corporation to raze small stalls to curb encroachment

After demolishing shops and structures for widening roads in Thane, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has now taken stock of small stalls that encroach upon footpaths.

On July 14, the TMC removed over 100 stalls, handcarts and small shops from the Naupada and Vartaknagar areas. "They encroached upon the footpath leaving no space for people to walk in. As a result, many people had to resort to jaywalking on the roads," said a TMC official. "Hence, TMC commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal ordered the officials to remove these structures immediately," he added.

During the demolition drive, the local politicians did create a furore, but the civic officials paid no heed to them. "There are hardly any footpaths on which people can walk as they are encroached upon by these hawkers and Chinese food stalls," said Manish Gokhale, a Thane resident. "We have to walk on the roads during peak hours, which creates traffic jams," he added.

Since the month of March, the TMC has undertaken road-widening at various locations in Thane, like the station area, Hari Nivas circle, Ghodbunder road, etc, and over 4,000 structures were demolished. In order to keep these roads free of hawkers, the Thane traffic police have also formed a special squad to conduct raids on the encroachers.