Unauthorised hawkers, haphazardly parked vehicles choke streets; residents say authorities turning a blind eye to illegalities
Garbage stagnates in Charkop. Residents allege that waste is seldom picked up. Pic/Sneha Kharabe
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On October 10 last year, we had put the spotlight on the large number of potholes, hawkers gobbling up pavements and the struggle to save open spaces from the clutches of encroachers in the ward.
The pothole menace has waned but not the threat to public spaces from hawkers. Crowded areas, like the foot overbridge of Borivli railway station, are overrun with such encroachers. Locals allege that the authorities are letting them have the run of the land. The hawker menace has even taken SV Road, Carter Road in Borivli East and Shimpoli in Borivli West in its grip. Slums of Gorai, the interiors of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and north Devipada and Kajupada are reeling under a water shortage.