The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has seized goods, handcarts and iron platforms from hawkers occupying roads and footpaths near Titwala East railway station, after vendors resumed business in the area following a five-day Diwali pause in enforcement.
The action was carried out on Thursday by the anti-encroachment team of Titwala ‘A’ ward. According to a report by Loksatta, vendors selling Diwali-related goods, clothes, household products, mobile covers and other daily-use items had occupied sections of the station area, restricting movement for pedestrians and vehicles.
The municipal action followed a temporary halt in enforcement during the five-day Diwali period. The report said the pause was intended to take citizens’ needs into account during the festival. After the five-day period ended, vendors returned to the station area and continued operating from roads and footpaths.
The encroachments left pedestrians without adequate walking space and forced motorists to manoeuvre through congested stretches near the station. The report also said devotees visiting Titwala for Ganpati darshan faced congestion in the area, where the concentration of vendors made movement more difficult.
The issue extended beyond business hours. According to the report, some hawkers left their goods and structures tied up on roads and footpaths when they went home at night. This meant that parts of the public space remained occupied even outside trading hours, contributing to continuing obstruction for residents and station users.
The seized material included the vendors’ merchandise, handcarts and iron platforms. The action was undertaken after concerns that the temporary festival-period relaxation could turn into a permanent occupation of the station surroundings. Residents were reported to have feared that vendors would continue operating from the area indefinitely.
The operation highlights the daily management challenge around railway stations, where pedestrian demand, vehicle access, informal vending and municipal enforcement converge in a limited public space. In Titwala, the reported obstruction affected both access to the station area and movement through surrounding roads and footpaths.
The report did not provide details of any alternative vending sites, rehabilitation process, penalty provisions or further enforcement schedule. It also did not state how many vendors were affected or whether the seized material would be released after payment of fines. The immediate action, however, restored the focus of municipal enforcement to keeping the roads and footpaths near Titwala East railway station free of reported encroachments.
