The Diwali festival is approaching, and customers have started crowding the city markets. The festival shopping will continue for the next fortnight, but customers face severe inconveniences due to the narrow lanes in the city market and the unavailability of parking space. As the crowd is expected to increase, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) has warned shopkeepers to clear the encroachments established in front of their shops.

The main market in the city extends from Tilak Path and Paithan Gate to City Chowk, where there are around 1,000 shops along this road. As per the orders issued by Municipal Commissioner and Administrator G. Srikanth, Additional Municipal Commissioner and Anti-Encroachment Cell Chief Santosh Wahule, Nagari Mitra Squad Chief Pramod Jadhav, and around 20 officers inspected the city market on Thursday and warned the shopkeepers of stern action if the encroachments are not cleared.

Wahule informed the shopkeepers that the road should be kept clean and that no temporary stalls, tables, or other articles should be placed in front of their shops, as this would hamper traffic. He warned that the corporation will take penal action against any shopkeeper who fails to comply, and their articles will be seized.