Woman killed by tipper on Godhani road; NMC demolishes over 25 tin sheds after protest

Nagpur: It took the death of a woman and thousands of angry citizens taking to the streets before the municipal administration stirred. A bulldozer was run on Monday night over encroachments that had stood for years on the Godhani-Zingabai Takli road. The drive began at 9 pm, and more than 25 illegal tin sheds were pulled down by late night.

Citizens had long been demanding this very action. The question now being asked of the administration is why it came only after a woman lost her life.

Ashwini Pankaj Phalke, 30, was riding a bike with her husband and son in the afternoon when a speeding tipper crushed her. She died in the accident.

Anger erupted in the Godhani area after the incident. Thousands of citizens took to the road and shouted slogans against the police, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT). The angry crowd also pelted stones at Garva Biryani, near the spot.

Citizens alleged that shopkeepers along the road had occupied space up to the road and the footpath. Tin sheds six to seven feet deep have been put up in front of many shops. This has narrowed the road and the risk of accidents keeps growing, they said. They also said the administration had taken no firm action despite repeated complaints.

The angry citizens began a road blockade and demanded that the municipal commissioner and the NIT chairman be called to the spot. The protest ended after officials assured them that the encroachments would be removed immediately. Soon afterwards, at 9 pm, a bulldozer reached the spot and the anti-encroachment drive began. More than 25 tin sheds were razed by late night.

The action has raised serious questions about the municipal administration's working. Citizens ask why no action was taken earlier despite complaints if more than 25 encroachments could be cleared in a few hours. They are also asking whether the administration was waiting for a major accident.

The bulldozer did roll after Ashwini's death, but the real test for the administration now lies ahead: whether the entire road will stay free of encroachments permanently, or whether occupation will begin again within days. The issue is not only removing encroachments but also fixing responsibility for the negligence that cost a family one of its members.