The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) removed around 2,000 hawkers from an illegal market operating on the 100-foot ring road in the Anmolnagar area of Garibachapada, Dombivli West, on Thursday evening. The action followed information received by H ward assistant commissioner Abhiman Pawar about the weekly market, which had reportedly been operating every Thursday for the past four months.
According to a report by Loksatta – Thane, the hawkers had been setting up stalls from around 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. each Thursday. The market offered vegetables, household goods and other products at low prices, drawing residents from different parts of Dombivli for shopping.
Pawar led the action with the municipal hawker removal squad. The enforcement operation began at about 6 p.m. and continued until approximately 8.30 p.m., according to the report. Around 2,000 hawkers were present at the site when the civic team arrived.
The weekly market had been organised on the ring road in the Anmolnagar area, a location identified in the report as part of the 100-foot external road. The operation comes amid instructions from KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goyal to assistant commissioners to take strict action against hawkers and illegal markets across the civic area.
The report said that similar illegal markets in parts of H ward, including the Ganeshnagar-Vrindavan Society and Ganesh Tower areas, as well as areas around Koper and the Kalavati Aai Temple in Devichapada, had been stopped by Pawar during the previous four months. It also reported that the enforcement was carried out without yielding to political pressure, but did not provide details of any specific complaint or intervention.
The action highlights the recurring municipal challenge of regulating informal markets that attract large numbers of shoppers while occupying roads and public space. The supplied report does not specify whether the hawkers were issued notices, whether any goods or structures were seized, or whether alternative vending arrangements were offered.
KDMC’s stated position, as reported, is that assistant commissioners should continue strict enforcement against unauthorised hawking and illegal markets. No further timeline for action at the Anmolnagar site, or details of any follow-up inspection, were provided in the report.
