A Dombivli illegal market operating every Thursday on the 100-foot outer ring road in the Anmol Nagari area of west Dombivli was removed by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation on Thursday evening, with civic officials reporting action against around 2,000 hawkers.
The market had reportedly been operating for about four months in the Garibachapada area. According to a report by Loksatta, vendors conducted business from around 4 pm to 11 pm every Thursday, selling vegetables, household goods and other items at low prices. The market attracted shoppers from several parts of Dombivli.
The enforcement action followed information received by Abhiman Pawar, assistant commissioner of the municipal corporation’s H ward. Pawar then deployed the civic hawker-removal squad to the site. The action began at around 6 pm and continued until approximately 8.30 pm, the report said.
The civic operation targeted the temporary market set up along the Anmol Nagari outer ring road. The reported presence of a large number of vendors on a road designated for movement raises questions about how informal markets are being established and allowed to continue on public roads. The supplied report, however, does not provide details on traffic disruption, arrests, seizures or injuries during the operation.
The action follows earlier drives against unauthorised markets in parts of H ward, including areas near Ganeshnagar Vrindavan Society, Ganesh Tower, Koper and the Kalavati Aai Temple area in Devichapada. Loksatta reported that these markets had been shut during the previous four months under Pawar’s supervision.
Municipal commissioner Abhinav Goyal has instructed assistant commissioners to take strict action against hawkers and illegal markets, according to the report. The Anmol Nagari operation was carried out after civic officials received information about the Thursday market. The report attributed the organisation of the market to local intermediaries, but did not provide their names or details of any case registered against them.
The report also did not specify whether the vendors had been offered an alternative vending location, whether any licences were checked, or whether the corporation plans to take further action before the market’s next scheduled Thursday operation. Those details will determine whether the latest drive is a one-time removal operation or part of a continuing enforcement programme in Dombivli.
