The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has announced that it will remove all illegal encroachments from the region’s footpaths starting November 1 (Sunday). This cleanup drive will go on for 15 days, aimed at removing hawkers, illegal stalls, as well as extended portions of existing shops on the footpaths.
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The KDMC was engaged in a similar initiative back in February this year with the aim to clean the footpaths that end up blocking the roads. But as the authorities pointed out, these illegal encroachments have surfaced yet again during the lockdown period. The cleanup drive had to be stopped abruptly as the Indian Government announced lockdowns across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vijay Suryavanshi, Commissioner of the KDMC said - “The footpaths, which are made for the pedestrians to walk freely, are mostly occupied with illegal encroachments. Before the drive, we have informed the shopkeepers and housing societies to make sure they themselves remove the encroachments from footpaths.”
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It’s worth noting that the civic agencies were permitted to conduct essential infrastructure related works even during the lockdown. However, this was mostly limited to pre-monsoon works by the agency while also making sure the risk of other diseases like malaria and typhoid are controlled.
Doctors encountered isolated cases of patients infected with a combination of COVID-19 and diseases like malaria, otherwise known as a co-infection. This can prove to be fatal for individuals belonging to sensitive groups.
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