Nagpur: Facing mounting criticism over the continued encroachments on footpaths despite its ongoing drives, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has now set daily targets for every zone and tightened enforcement against illegal vendors and shopkeepers.Each of the city’s 10 zones was directed to clear 2km of footpaths every day, translating into 20km daily and 600km every month, deputy municipal commissioner Mangesh Khawale told TOI. The special drive, launched on the instructions of municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar, will run alongside the corporation’s routine anti-encroachment operations.The scale of the challenge remains daunting, though. NMC estimates that Nagpur has nearly 4,500km of footpaths, with more than half currently under some form of encroachment. Officials admit that unless reclaimed spaces are continuously monitored, vendors and shopkeepers often return within hours of eviction, undoing the day’s enforcement.Recently, Itankar reprimanded enforcement officials over pedestrians still being forced onto roads due to persistent footpath encroachments, even after more than two months of the corporation’s much-publicised 100-day anti-encroachment drive.Officials said the latest drive will target both temporary and permanent encroachments. While unauthorised vendors occupy footpaths with vegetable, fruit, and food stalls, many shopkeepers also encroach on public walkways by displaying merchandise outside their establishments, leaving little or no space for pedestrians.The enforcement teams have been directed to impose a penalty equivalent to 25% of the value of seized goods, in addition to confiscating the goods. The directions were issued to all enforcement officials on Tuesday in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives to keep public footpaths free from encroachments.The corporation hopes that fixed daily targets, combined with financial penalties and stricter follow-up action, will improve accountability at the zonal level. Every assistant municipal commissioner is now expected to ensure that the assigned stretches remain free of encroachments instead of merely carrying out one-time eviction drives.The renewed push also complements the corporation’s parallel crackdown on organised illegal vending networks, with the central anti-encroachment squad already tasked with identifying repeat offenders and alleged vendor operators controlling multiple handcarts across the city.With over half of Nagpur’s footpaths still blocked, the success of the latest initiative will depend not just on the number of drives conducted, but on whether reclaimed public spaces remain accessible to pedestrians.
