NAVI MUMBAI | September 8, 2026
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has ordered a special drive to remove unauthorised stalls, pan shops and other encroachments from footpaths before Ganeshotsav, with particular attention to areas around schools, colleges, hospitals, railway stations and markets.
Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde issued the instructions during a review meeting on Friday covering civic facilities, encroachments, sanitation, footpaths, alleged drug sales and preparations for the festival. He directed officials to ensure that no pan shop or similar business operates within 50 metres of a school or college in the civic limits.
The commissioner also instructed all eight ward offices to prepare action plans and appoint dedicated teams for enforcement. Officials have been told to set priorities for different locations and continue the action regularly rather than conduct a one-time clearance. In some wards, Shinde is expected to lead the operation himself, according to information cited in the report.
The civic body said railway station areas would receive special attention because of the expected increase in pedestrian and vehicle movement during Ganeshotsav. The Nerul railway station area was specifically mentioned in the review, while similar action is planned around all railway stations in Navi Mumbai.
The instructions distinguish between authorised and unauthorised street vendors. Authorised hawkers are to be shifted to alternative locations, while action will be taken against unauthorised vendors occupying pedestrian paths. The municipal administration said the objective is to allow residents to walk without obstruction and reduce the need for pedestrians to use roads when footpaths are blocked.
Sanjay Shinde, deputy commissioner of the encroachment department, said instructions had been issued to all eight ward offices in accordance with the commissioner’s directions. He said the process of removing pan shops had been under way since the previous week and that 90% of them had already been removed. The remaining shops would also be cleared soon, he said.
The civic body is also preparing for enforcement during evening and night hours. Officials have received complaints that unauthorised food carts remain on roads until midnight after daytime action has ended. Separate teams have therefore been ordered for night operations, and officials have been instructed to examine action against roadside food sales after 11 p.m.
The meeting also directed the police to take regular action against the sale and use of drugs around railway stations, in coordination with the municipal corporation. Officials were told to monitor school and college areas as well as station premises for such activity.
The footpath-clearance campaign is being linked to the preparations for Ganeshotsav, when movement through public spaces is expected to increase. Ward-level teams are to continue enforcement across the city, with footpaths in high-use public areas identified as the immediate priority.
