After high court rap, civic body begins exercise to clear Thane station of encroachments

The civic chief deployed six deputy municipal commissioners (DMCs) on Tuesday to ensure that there are no encroachments at the station and its nearby areas.

After the Bombay high court (HC) directed the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to clear the roads near Thane railway station of hawkers and unauthorised constructions and widen it in four weeks, the corporation has swung into action.

Civic chief Sanjeev Jaiswal said that hawkers won’t be spared even on Sundays. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The civic chief deployed six deputy municipal commissioners (DMCs) on Tuesday to ensure that there are no encroachments at the station and its nearby areas.

Sandeep Malvi, public relations officer, TMC, said, “The civic chief has appointed six deputy municipal commissioners to ensure the roads in Naupada remain free of encroachments. The officials have been assigned one day of the week from Monday to Saturday. They will be responsible for taking action against those hawking in the no-hawking zone in the ward on their assigned days.”

Civic chief Sanjeev Jaiswal said that hawkers won’t be spared even on Sundays. “A squad under a deputy and executive city engineer has been appointed to keep watch on Sundays and holidays,” he said.

Vikrant Tawade, an activist from Thane, had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in HC in June last year demanding that the road from Court Naka to Thane station be widening.

Although the TMC started the work on widening the stretch, it was left incomplete, leaving room for hawkers to encroach.

Tawade said, “The court has come down heavily on the corporation for not clearing the encroachments, including the hawkers and the illegal constructions, along the stretch. The court observed that the roads are encroached upon only because of inaction by the corporation. Pedestrians cannot walk on the encroached footpaths.”