Thrikkakara municipality has removed 118 unauthorised roadside stalls from several parts of Kakkanad following a direction from the Kerala High Court, in a major enforcement drive covering key roads and junctions in the municipality. The action began after midnight on Wednesday and was carried out by a municipal squad during a special inspection.
The stalls were removed from Kakkanad, the Seaport-Airport Road, Civil Line, IMG Junction, Mavelipuram and the NGO Quarters area, according to a report by Madhyamam. The operation also covered several political party flagpoles and advertising boards that had been installed without authorisation.
Only roadside shops holding temporary licences issued by the municipality were allowed to continue operating, the report said. The municipal action followed complaints that some of the stalls were involved in narcotics-related activity. The report said that enforcement was also directed at outlets that had not been removed despite receiving prior warnings.
The municipality issued notices and imposed fines on stall owners. Political parties that had allegedly installed unauthorised flagpoles and advertising boards were also fined and served notices. The action therefore extended beyond individual vendors to other forms of unauthorised occupation and display infrastructure on public land.
The operation is the third municipal demolition drive against unauthorised roadside vending centres in six months, according to the report. The repeated drives indicate that the municipality has continued to face roadside encroachment and unregulated vending across multiple locations in the urbanising Kakkanad area.
The enforcement has affected areas that carry substantial traffic and institutional activity, including the Seaport-Airport Road, Civil Line and IMG Junction. Removing stalls, boards and flagpoles from these corridors is part of the municipality’s effort to enforce its permissions system and clear unauthorised structures from public spaces.
The report did not provide details of alternative vending locations, rehabilitation arrangements or the number of vendors holding temporary licences. It also did not specify the High Court case or the exact terms of the court’s direction. The municipality said inspections and removals would continue in the coming days.
