Pune Municipal Corporation to file cases against 119 illegal stall owners

PUNE: The civic body will file criminal cases against 119 traders for setting up stalls selling Ganesha idols without permission.
“The civic administration will give details like the location of these stalls to the respective police stations. Most have been set up on footpaths. Criminal offences would be filed against the operators of these stalls,” Madhav Jagtap, head of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s anti-encroachment department, said.
Civic officials said public notices were issued against setting up of illegal stalls. Despite that, many traders have not adhered to the rules. “We will also share the latitude and longitude of such illegal setups with the police department. They will be used by the police to locate stall owners. These stalls are encroachments and a hindrance to pedestrians,” a senior PMC official said.
PMC gives permission to set up stalls every year and locations are designated. But many traders don’t seek valid permission and often roads are dug up for putting up stalls.
Approximately, 4.5 lakh idols are immersed under its jurisdiction each year. On an average, 250 collection centres across the civic areas are set up, where people can donate their idols. PMC is likely to place restrictions on roadside advertisements during Ganeshotsav. Horizontal arches of up to 50m from pandal will be allowed.