With the judiciary repeatedly flagging the issue of illegal encroachments in the city, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has now set an ambitious goal of making Nagpur an encroachment-free city. To achieve this, the civic body has intensified daily anti-encroachment operations and is also conducting citywide joint drives once every month.
The operations are targeting hawkers and vendors who have occupied footpaths and roads across commercial and residential areas. According to officials, these actions have created a visible impact, with many vendors now wary of setting up illegal stalls.
A major challenge faced by the civic body is the lack of space to store seized materials. Items such as handcarts, stalls, and other vendor equipment are being confiscated in large numbers during daily drives. These are now being stored in vacant municipal school buildings across various zones.
Over the last four months, the NMC has carried out hundreds of enforcement actions, often working late into the night and even on weekends. Despite these efforts, areas like Sitabuldi, Mahal, Gandhibagh, Itwari, Sadar, Manish Nagar, Khamla, VMV Road, Ambazari, Dharampeth, Gokulpeth, Laxminagar, and Nandanvan remain heavily encroached.
The enforcement department is currently facing a severe manpower shortage. As per the new staffing structure, 214 personnel are required, but only 58 are presently deployed.
NMC officials said the Commissioner has directed that action be taken proactively across all ten zones—without waiting for complaints—to restore public spaces to citizens.
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