The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has initiated a citywide crackdown on unlawful encroachment, specifically targeting shops in flyovers, footpaths, and public places. This operation, which started earlier this week, seeks to revive pedestrian rights-of-way and restore order to the city’s growingly congested public spaces.
Action Taken Across Multiple Locations
The anti-encroachment drive was carried out in many busy areas, under flyovers and central market routes where illegal vendors had established permanent and semi-permanent stalls. These encroachments not just impede pedestrian flow but also create fire risks and traffic congestion.
GMC, along with city police and other enforcement agencies, demolished a series of illegal shops and buildings. The operation is part of a much broader urban beautification and sanitation campaign, incorporating footpath clearance, garbage disposal, and illegal billboard removal.
Zero Tolerance for Encroachments
The officials from the municipal corporation re-emphasized that the drive will remain on with zero tolerance for any kind of encroachment in public space. Action has already been taken against shopkeepers and hawkers who have not been issued licenses or who have encroached upon space.
“WE are doing this for public safety and civic order,” a top GMC official said. “Public areas belong to everyone, and illegal establishments not only go against municipal norms but also pose a threat to lives.”
Repeat offenders also face the threat of legal action, including fines and FIRs under the municipal and urban development acts.
Mixed Public Response
While a majority of city dwellers have embraced the move, lauding the GMC’s initiative in opening up space for walking, some of the vendors have complained about the loss of their livelihood. Some of them had been running their business for years and sought rehabilitation or relocated vending areas.
GMC authorities reacted by assuring that work is on to establish special vending areas throughout Guwahati under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, in order to strike a balance between regulation and livelihood.
Towards a Cleaner Guwahati
The recent drive is part of GMC’s larger initiative to clean up Guwahati, make it more pedestrian-friendly, and is structured under the Smart City vision. With drives of a similar nature likely to follow over the next few days, residents can look forward to additional urban cleanliness and restructuring initiatives.
