500 home guards to boost 'footpath freedom', 18-hour drunk driving checks

Nagpur: The city police and traffic wing have unleashed a multi-pronged plan under their flagship ‘ Operation U-Turn ' to free footpaths of encroachers. As part of the initiative, 500 home guards have been roped in to bolster anti-encroachment efforts by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and intensify anti-drunken driving checks, promising round-the-clock vigilance across the city.

Launched earlier this year in collaboration with NMC, the ‘ Footpath Freedom ' campaign has already cleared thousands of encroachments from sidewalks, penalising over 4,250 offenders. "Illegal parking, unauthorised street hawkers and vendors forced pedestrians to use roads, increasing risk of accidents," said DCP (Traffic) Lohit Matani, adding, "The mandate for these home guards is simple. We want eyes on every cleared footpath, no return of encroachments."

To be deployed at key commercial hubs like Sitabuldi, Dharampeth, and IT Park Road, the home guards will be continuously on patrol and help traffic police tow errant vehicles and dismantle unauthorized street stalls as per Maharashtra Police Act provisions.

Building on the success of anti-drunk driving campaigns like Operation U-Turn, under which cases were registered against 636 inebriated motorists in 18 days, the police have now greenlit 18-hour nakabandis (checkpoints) at 90 strategic spots in the city. From 8am to 2am, breathalysers will be used to check drunk driving, and action will be taken against traffic violations and reckless riding.

Home guards will work in shifts here too, bolstering manpower for seamless enforcement. "This extended window targets peak hours, from morning to late-night," Matani said, noting that earlier efforts had resulted in 21% dip in road fatalities.

The challenges persist — encroachments re-emerged near spots like VNIT Gate — but officials vow sustained action with awareness and community involvement. CP Ravinder Kumar Singal hailed the synergy between the police and NMC.