Nagpur: Acknowledging the scale of unchecked encroachments across the city, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has rolled out a 100-day mission to reclaim roads and footpaths, bringing multiple agencies together for a coordinated crackdown.The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar on Friday and attended by officials from the enforcement department, sky-sign licensing wing, district administration, police, NHAI, Nagpur Improvement Trust and public works dept. According to an official communique released on Saturday, Itankar directed departments to adopt a coordinated, multi-agency strategy to tackle encroachments on roads, footpaths and public spaces.As per the plan, the civic body will begin with a comprehensive survey to identify encroachments across roads under NMC, NHAI and PWD jurisdiction. The drive will target illegal constructions, dumping of construction material, encroachments on footpaths and unauthorised hoardings. Officials have also been asked to deploy technology and seek police assistance to ensure smooth execution.The administration claims the mission aims to create safe, accessible and obstruction-free roads, while also proposing alternative spaces for hawkers and vendors to operate legally.However, the need for a 100-day “mission” to address routine violations has once again exposed glaring gaps in NMC’s day-to-day enforcement. Encroachments have long choked Nagpur’s roads, with pedestrians routinely forced onto traffic lanes due to blocked footpaths, while illegal hoardings continue to proliferate unchecked.Despite multiple anti-encroachment drives in the past, violations have repeatedly resurfaced, raising serious concerns over weak enforcement, lack of deterrence and absence of sustained monitoring. Critics argue that such time-bound campaigns reflect a reactive approach, rather than a system of continuous governance.Officials, in a presentation by deputy commissioners Milind Meshram and Mangesh Khawale, described the initiative as an ambitious push to restore urban order and improve quality of life. Yet, for many citizens, the announcement underscores a deeper administrative failure, where visible violations are allowed to grow unchecked, only to be addressed through periodic “missions”.While the NMC has promised long-term improvements and a more organised urban landscape, the real test of Mission 100 Days will lie beyond its deadline: whether the civic body can enforce rules consistently and prevent encroachments from returning once the spotlight fades.The meeting saw the presence of senior officials across depts, underlining the scale of coordination proposed for the drive. Among those present were deputy collector Suresh Bagale, PWD official Chandrashekhar Sinha, NMC deputy commissioners Milind Meshram, Mangesh Khawale, Ganesh Rathod and Ashok Garate, assistant commissioners Dhananjay Jadhav, Rajkumar Meshram, Pramod Wankhede, Harish Raut, Vijay Thool and Vikas Raibole, city tehsildar Santosh Khandare, executive engineer (NMC) Shrikant Waikar and PWD executive engineer Laxmikant Raulkar.MISSION 100 DAYS: NMC’S ANTI-ENCROACHMENT PLANObjective: Clear illegal hoardings and encroachments; ensure obstruction-free roads and footpathsDuration: 100 days (time-bound citywide drive)KEY ACTIONS* Comprehensive survey of encroachments across NMC, NHAI and PWD roads* Removal of illegal constructions on roads and public spaces* Clearance of construction material dumped on roads* Action against unauthorised hoardings and sky-signs* Freeing up blocked footpaths for pedestrian useEXECUTION STRATEGY* Multi-agency coordination (NMC, police, district administration, NHAI, PWD, NIT)* Deployment of modern technology for mapping and monitoring* Police support to prevent resistance and ensure smooth operationsVENDOR REHABILITATION* Identification of alternative designated spaces for hawkers* Plan to regularise street vending in a structured mannerMONITORING MECHANISM* Dept-wise responsibility allocation* Periodic review by senior officials and municipal commissioner
