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Journalism of Courage
In focus
With hawkers encroaching footpaths of main roads of the city in the evening, the Pune civic body seized 21 LPG cylinders which were used to sell food items on the footpaths of Fergusson College road, BMCC road and Jangli Maharaj Road late last night.
A special anti-encroachment drive was undertaken after the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) received complaints of unauthorised encroachments and illegal use of gas cylinders at night by vendors selling food items along with many vendors selling clothes, cutlery, hosiery, and toys on the footpath at Fergusson College Road, BMCC Road, Aryabhushan Pumping Station, Khanduji Baba Chowk, and JM Road.
“We took out a special drive late last night between 11 pm to 11.30 pm on instruction of the municipal commissioner who had received complaints of footpath encroachment on main roads of the Deccan area selling food items, clothes, cutlery, hosiery and toys. The pedestrians were facing a lot of problems using footpaths,” said Sandeep Khalate, incharge of the civic anti-encroachment department.
With the help of the Deccan Police Department, the PMC seized 22 stalls selling clothes, 21 gas cylinders used for cooking and nine sheds alongwith various other material.
This action involved participation of six municipal staff, ten labourers, one truck, and one holding cage in addition to police personnel. Khalate said this operation will now be carried out on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, pedestrians have been complaining about waste being dumped on the footpaths of these roads by hawkers encroachering the footpath. They had also earlier raised concern of food stalls operating on footpaths in the evening.
