Encroachments on city roads result in traffic congestion

Kolhapur: The issue of encroachment on Kolhapur's city roads has reached a breaking point. Countless cabins and roadside stalls now occupy footpaths and major thoroughfares, causing severe traffic congestion across the city. Despite the worsening situation, the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) has largely turned a blind eye, failing to launch any significant anti-encroachment drives.The lack of action appears to be tied to systemic corruption. Just two days ago, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught the Head of the KMC anti-encroachment department red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs2,000 from a roadside vendor in exchange for permission to erect a stall.City traffic department officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that the impact of these illegal structures is massive. "If the KMC carries out a comprehensive, city-wide anti-encroachment drive, 80 percent of the city's traffic congestion would vanish immediately," an official noted.The crisis is exacerbated by the absence of designated hawker zones. Without fixed locations, vendors set up businesses wherever possible, including major junctions and pedestrian pathways. Sujata Patil, a roadside vendor, highlighted the plight of the hawkers: "The KMC should establish a dedicated zone where we can work without causing inconvenience. Currently, officials take bribes to allow us to stay. It has become an unspoken rule—if you want to do business on the streets, you have to empty your pockets."The root of the policy failure lies in administrative delay. Although a Hawker Committee was democratically elected two years ago, its official gazette has yet to be published, leaving the body toothless.Former mayor R. K. Powar, who also heads the All-Party Action Committee for Hawkers, asserted that this delay is intentional. "It has been two years since the committee members were elected, but because the gazette hasn't been published, the committee exists only on paper. This prevents us from legally determining hawker zones—a situation that elements within the municipal administration are systematically exploiting for personal gain."Sameer Nadaf, a member of the Hawker Action Committee, added that the KMC claims to be following up with the state government. "We are told reminders have been sent, but the issues remain in a state of ‘as is' condition. We will now demand that the Municipal Commissioner ensure no hawker is evicted or harassed until the gazette is officially issued and zones are finalised."