In an effort to encourage self-regulation and prevent congestion in front of the commercial establishments on Mahatma Gandhi Road, the Puducherry Municipality and the traffic police have jointly launched a drive sensitising hawkers to restrict their business to the demarcated boundary. The municipality has warned them of dismantling the stalls if the hawkers encroached the area beyond the demarcated line.
According to a senior official, the drive was launched in the wake of several complaints from owners of commercial establishments and houseowners on Mahatma Gandhi Road that hawkers had set up shop in front of the entrance.
The traffic police were finding it difficult to manage traffic on the road where a major portion is occupied by hawkers on Sundays.
The problem was acute on the stretch with influx of new hawkers and encroachment of roads.
“The hawkers would be allowed to continue their trade on Mahatma Gandhi Road. However, they should confine their business to the pavement within the painted lines and should not encroach outside the display line. We have asked them not to set up stalls at the entrance of commercial establishments and houses,” he said.