In a major effort to decongest city roads and improve pedestrian safety, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation has carried out anti-encroachment drives on nearly 40 of the 49 road stretches identified as heavily encroached. The action is part of the civic body’s ambitious ‘Mission 100 Day’ campaign aimed at easing chronic traffic congestion and reclaiming public spaces.
Sanjay Kamble, Assistant Commissioner of the NMC’s Enforcement Wing, confirmed the scale of the operations. “Out of the 49 major road stretches identified across the city, the NMC has already conducted anti-encroachment drives on approximately 40 roads. We will continue the crackdown on unauthorised hawkers until we reclaim our city’s footpaths.”
The civic body said the larger objective is to bring urban discipline, curb crimes linked to encroachments, and ensure roads and footpaths remain organised and accessible for pedestrians.
The enforcement department has mainly focused on busy stretches and commercial hubs such as Jhansi Rani Square, Sitabuldi Market, Variety Square, and the road from VNIT to Bajaj Nagar. Despite having a workforce of only around 150 personnel for monitoring, officials said sustained action is being taken to stop vendors from reoccupying spaces shortly after the drives.
The campaign has also received support from Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal. Along with removing encroachments, the civic body is simultaneously tackling issues such as illegal constructions, unauthorised hoardings, and waste dumping.
As part of a long-term solution, a recent high-level meeting involving officials from the police department, NMC, and the Regional Transport Office (RTO) discussed rehabilitation measures for hawkers. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Khawale said the NMC is identifying government land to shift 1,225 authorised hawkers into designated vending zones.
The administration is also planning zone-wise surveys to initiate legal action against repeat offenders under the MRTP Act.
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