Hawkers return to city streets despite NMC crackdown

Nagpur: Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) relentless dawn-to-dusk anti-encroachment drive under ‘Mission 100 Days' is struggling to keep roads and footpaths free of squatters, with illegal hawkers reoccupying cleared spaces within days of eviction.Initially planned for 43 locations, the drive was later expanded to cover 49 major traffic congestion points after officials identified additional bottlenecks affecting traffic flow and pedestrian movement.All 10 zonal offices were instructed to clear at least 5km stretches of roads and footpaths, taking the overall target to nearly 50km across the city. Besides routine daytime operations, several zones also launched night drives to remove vendors and temporary roadside structures that reappear after sunset.The enforcement campaign begins early in the morning and continues late into the night. Areas under Dharampeth, Laxmi Nagar, and Gandhibagh zones have witnessed continuous operations involving anti-encroachment squads, police deployment, and confiscation vehicles since the last week of April.Despite daily action across major commercial pockets, hawkers continue returning to roads and footpaths, exposing the limitations of enforcement-driven operations.Officials admitted informally that the challenge extends beyond eviction to ensuring sustained control in high-footfall commercial areas.Residents and commuters welcomed the campaign, particularly in crowded market areas where handcarts, roadside stalls, and temporary sheds often render footpaths unusable. However, many said the impact remains short-lived as encroachments return soon after enforcement teams leave.In several localities, displaced vendors shifted to adjoining internal roads, triggering fresh congestion concerns.Amit Sharma, a shopkeeper from Itwari, said unauthorised vending increased sharply on smaller roads within the commercial locality."On Sundays, one cannot even ride a two-wheeler properly through several lanes because vendors occupy the roads," Sharma said.Officials involved in the operations said sustained monitoring across all identified stretches remains difficult because of the scale of encroachments and the daily return of vendors.The crackdown intensified after the return of the elected general body following four years of administrator rule, with civic authorities prioritising smoother traffic movement and reclaiming pedestrian spaces.For now, anti-encroachment squads continue extensive operations across Nagpur. But the repeated reoccupation of cleared stretches underlines the difficulty of keeping the city permanently hawker-free.