Thane Municipal Corporation has removed 10 to 15 food carts from Road Nos. 16 and 22 in Wagle Estate after evening crowding around roadside vendors began obstructing traffic and pavements, the civic administration said. Some gas cylinders were seized and several carts were dismantled during the action carried out on Wednesday evening.
The two roads pass through an area with a large concentration of information technology companies and carry substantial traffic, including Thane Municipal Transport buses. According to the report by Loksatta – Thane, food carts had increasingly occupied pavements and portions of the carriageway during the evening, while customers gathered around them to eat. This reduced the usable road space for buses and other vehicles and contributed to recurring congestion.
Complaints about the obstruction had been made to the Thane civic administration by local residents. Some public representatives had also demanded the removal of carts from the roads and pavements. The enforcement action followed these complaints and was undertaken by the Wagle Estate ward committee.
Rajesh Sonawane, assistant commissioner of the Wagle Estate ward committee, said complaints had been received about food and other carts being placed on the pavements and roads of Road Nos. 16 and 22 during the evening, creating an obstruction and causing traffic jams. He said action had therefore been initiated at the locations and would continue regularly.
The civic administration said the problem was particularly pronounced in the evening, when the number of vendors and customers increased. The planned response is consequently centred on continued inspections and enforcement during the same period rather than a one-time clearance. The administration has not provided details in the report about an alternative vending area, a formal vending-zone arrangement or the number of vendors affected beyond the 10 to 15 carts removed in the latest operation.
The action highlights the operational conflict that can emerge when roadside food vending grows around major employment districts without enough designated space for vendors, customers, pedestrians and moving traffic. In Wagle Estate, the congestion was not attributed only to the carts themselves; the crowds gathered around them also spilled onto the road, further narrowing the space available to buses and vehicles.
The removal of carts and seizure of cylinders address the immediate obstruction reported on the two roads. The Thane civic administration has said that enforcement will continue, with ward-level teams expected to undertake regular action during evening hours. The next phase will depend on whether the civic body sustains those inspections and how it manages vending and pedestrian access in the area.
