The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday, January 29, removed around 200 illegal hawkers and unauthorised structures were evicted in K West ward.
The action was taken against unauthorised hawking stalls along Ram Ganesh Gadkari Marg (Irla Marg) in Andheri West, connecting Swami Vivekananda (SV) Road and Gulmohar Road, as well as the approach road to Dr R N Cooper Hospital.
The demolition drive was carried out using four encroachment removal vehicles, three JCBs, and other equipment.
Nearly 100 BMC officers and staff, along with police personnel, were deployed during the operation.
In its official statement, the civic body said that the encroachments, including the temporary shops set up by unauthorised hawkers, were obstructing pedestrian movement and creating serious difficulties for ambulances transporting patients to the hospital, particularly during emergencies.
The BMC said that similar drives against unauthorised constructions will continue on a regular basis in the coming days.
Earlier on Wednesday, January 27, a joint drive by the Amboli police, traffic police, and the BMC brought major relief to residents of Andheri West, with three chronically congested roads finally cleared of illegal obstructions.
Sawant Road, Veera Desai Road, and Duttaji Salvi Road — which routinely witnessed severe traffic snarls — were freed of illegal hawkers, abandoned vehicles, and unauthorised parking of dumpers, tankers, and JCB machines. As a result, commute time on these stretches has dropped sharply from nearly 25 minutes earlier to about 10 minutes now.