Walk On Roads! Footpaths Under Siege As Hawkers, Stalls Take Over Pavements

Nagpur: Footpaths across the city are fast turning into encroachment-haven, leaving pedestrians with little option but to step straight into fast-moving traffic. A TOI visit to multiple locations found pavements virtually erased under layers of food stalls, makeshift huts, pushcarts and temporary shops, shrinking what should be safe walkways into narrow, unusable slivers. For thousands of commuters, a simple walk has become a daily gamble with speeding vehicles.With sidewalks effectively captured, pedestrians, including schoolchildren, senior citizens and office-goers, are forced onto busy roads, navigating through honking traffic and constant risk. In several areas, even newly constructed footpaths have been swallowed by vendors and roadside structures, reducing costly civic infrastructure to little more than decorative concrete.
At IT Park, the encroachment cycle has become almost routine. Civic teams conduct eviction drives every month, yet the relief is fleeting. Within 48 hours, stalls and pushcarts return, reclaiming the same stretches as if the drives never happened. The situation is no better at Khamla Market, where both sides of the road have been taken over. Footpaths have disappeared under rows of stalls, carts and parked vehicles, leaving pedestrians stranded on the carriageway. "The entire pedestrian space has been swallowed up," said local Abhishek Brar. "What's left is a road where walkers and vehicles are forced to fight for space every day."On Maharajbagh Road, rows of makeshift huts and small stalls have sprung up along the footpath, with several vendors even living on the pavement. The encroachments have virtually wiped out the walkway, forcing pedestrians onto the busy road. Commuters say the situation has also created serious hygiene concerns, as some occupants bathe, cook and relieve themselves on the footpath itself, turning what should be a public walkway into an unsanitary living space.A source in NMC's Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) told TOI, "Initially, we could only penalise them (encroachers) for littering on footpaths as there was no specific provision to act against such vendors. However, since November 18, 2025, the list of offences under our jurisdiction was expanded and a specific offence for selling food on footpaths was introduced. We can now impose a fine of Rs1,000 ." The official clarified that the squad cannot independently remove encroachments. "The actual removal of stalls or encroachments is carried out only after orders are issued by the zonal assistant commissioner," the source said.Meanwhile, Sanjay Kamble, assistant superintendent in NMC's enforcement department, said the problem persists despite regular action. "We seize stalls during drives, but as per rules these have to be released after a month. Even if we remove one stall, another comes up in its place," he said. Kamble added that relocating hawkers to designated zones has also proven difficult. "Town vending committee suggests developing hawker zones, but vendors move there only if they want to. Even when we provide space, many refuse to shift fearing customers won't come," he said. "For instance, space was made available near Maharajbagh for Sitabuldi hawkers, but many of them are still reluctant to move," Kamble added.------------INFO:Data from the NMC's Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) shows that 8,742 cases of littering on footpaths were registered across city zones in 2025. Majority cases — 6,994 — involved hawkers, followed by 1,314 against shopkeepers and 434 against larger establishments. Laxmi Nagar zone recorded the highest number with 2,371 cases, followed by Mangalwari (1,792) and Dhantoli (1,130). Other zones included Hanuman Nagar (943), Gandhibagh (860), Dharampeth (550), Lakadganj (487) and Nehru Nagar (301). Comparatively, fewer cases were reported from Ashi Nagar (273) and Satranjipura (35), according to the civic data.No of Cases by the NDS in 2025Littering on FootpathsOffence ————————-----------------------by hawkers……….by shopkeepers…….by larger establishments…..........….TotalLaxmi Nagar—------1756—------ -----------529—--------------- ----------86—----------------- ------2371Dharampeth—--------503—------- ------------1—---------------- ------------46—--------------- --------550Hanuman Nagar—---942—----------------- --0—-------------------------- --1—------------------------ 943Dhantoli—--------------938—--- ----------------111—---------- ---------------81—------------ -----------1130Nehru Nagar—---------141—------ -------------125—------------- -----------35—---------------- -------301Gandhibagh—---------754—------ -------------3—--------------- -----------103—--------------- --------860Satranjipura —----------22—---------------- -----12—---------------------- --1—-------------------------- 35Lakadganj—-----------355—----- ---------------109—----------- ------------23—--------------- --------487Ashi Nagar—---------29—------------ ---------237—----------------- ------7—---------------------- ---273Mangalwari—----------1554—---- --------------187—------------ ----------51—----------------- -------1792Total—------------------6994—- -----------------1314—-------- ------------434—-------------- ----------8742