Nagpur Roads Blocked by Pandals and Encroachments; NMC Faces Criticism Over Enforcement Gaps Nagpur’s municipal authorities faced mounting pressure as city roads were increasingly occupied by wedding pandals, religious processions, and illegal encroachments, sparking a heated debate in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) general body. Corporators from across political parties accused the administration of failing to enforce regulations, with allegations of selective enforcement and official complicity in allowing violations to persist. The discussion, held on Wednesday, highlighted the growing chaos caused by unauthorized structures, hawkers, and temporary installations that disrupted traffic and emergency access. The debate began with complaints about the routine use of public roads for private events, particularly wedding pandals and religious processions, which were said to block key intersections and create daily traffic bottlenecks. IUML corporator Aslam Khan criticized the lack of strict penalties for decorators, while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishore Kumeriya pointed to religious processions choking critical junctions. He called for a uniform permission policy to manage such events. The discussion quickly expanded to encroachments, with corporators citing widespread illegal markets and temporary structures in areas like Mahal, Sitabuldi, and IT Park Road. BJP corporator Sanjay Balpande highlighted the surge in encroachments, particularly in central Nagpur, where illegal markets had proliferated around landmarks such as Rajwada Palace. He noted that nearly 56 illegal markets operate across the city, including a weekly stretch from Santra Market to Natthi Chowk.#sanjay_balpande #nagpur_municipal_corporation #nmc #aslam_khan #kishore_kumeriya
