Mohali: Encroachment upon public places, including parks, market corridors, parking lots and even on spaces under trees is rampant in the city. Everyday large number of migrants could be seen in Mohali selling daily use commodities on rehris or outside shops in corridors. Most of the residents and commuters said concerned officials don’t take action against such people and demanded that teams should be deployed for regular checking of encroachments in on road sides.
Commuters and residents said situation gets worse during evenings and on weekends, vendors also create nuisance at traffic light points thereby increasing the risk of accidents, no doubt MC officials conducts raids occasionally, but vendors are back on same spaces soon.
Senior citizens said encroachments by shopkeepers or street vendors on public places will not stop until hefty fines are imposed on violators and added that no one have any right to use public land for their own selfish motive. Encroachments disrupt traffic movement. The MC should not hesitate to initiate legal proceedings against encroachers with an aim to remove illegal occupations and encroachments.
Residents added that due to non-accountability of concerned staff and political interference, traders and vendors encroach upon public spaces with impunity. Many vendors sell fruits on hand drawn carts along busy roads. Roads get choked due to vendors, but the traffic police never acts against them.
Often, encroachers receive advance information about arrival of enforcement staff. Sometimes, few displayed items are confiscated for formality sake and demanded that anti encroachments staff should be deployed full time in any area of the city on random basis every day till late evening hours.
At most of the places street vendors openly claim that nobody can remove them from public spaces. Even no vending zones around the main roads in Mohali are encroached upon.
Who Cares???