Udhagamandalam Municipality, on Thursday night, sealed 20 shops and evicted roadside vendors who were operating near the Udhagamandalam bus stand.
Officials said that apart from tea stalls, there were pushcarts selling food, fruits and vegetables. The number of shops gradually increased over the last few years and began encroaching the footpaths and the main road outside the bus stand. The shops apart from blocking the movement of buses, were also posing a risk to pedestrians, who had to walk along the main road as the shops has encroached the footpaths, officials said.
On Thursday, the UMC officials, along with the police, sealed all the shops that were operating illegally surrounding the bus stand, and evicted street hawkers from the area.
A person running a tea stall in the area said that they were not informed about the eviction by the municipality. “We have been earning a living for many years from these shops. They could have allocated us space elsewhere to set up shop,” he said.
UMC Commissioner P Pandiya Narayan said that the municipality was identifying other areas too where shops had been set up illegally. “We are looking at removing all encroachments and shops set up illegally, including the ones near the Government Botanical Garden,” he said.
