Shop-owners encroaching footpaths by using ‘Standees’ to ‘standout’
   Date :08-Nov-2022
Shop-owners encroaching footpaths  
 
 
 
By Rutu Borkar
It is common sight at all markets places and stand-alone shops to see shop-owners using ‘standees’ to grab the attention of the customers. Easy availability, cheap cost with no maintenance and light in weight, are the reasons these ‘standees’ have made way to every shop.
Shop-owners are using this ‘standees’ to ‘stand-out’ to make visible their businesses from a long distance, often placing them on footpaths and on the roads. Shop-owners extend their shop over the footpaths with no space left for citizens to walk. Parked vehicles along the footpath occupy another portion. Coming in addition are the standees that are making roads narrower to commute.
Standee is a common problem in city market places in areas like Sitabuldi, Dharampeth, Sadar, Nandanvan, Central Avenue to name a few. Keeping a standee is now a standard practice among shop-owners.
Nikesh Chaturvedi, a designer by profession who has a shop in Mahal, said, “We have minimum 4 to 5 orders, to make standees everyday. Often, there are urgent orders when there is a new shop or business opening. It hardly takes 2 hours to design a standee from scratch to end. They are popular since they can be easily moved and kept
inside the shop at night or when not in use. The standee problem is not restricted to old market places but prevalent in new developing areas too. Business activities and traffic volume on the Besa Road starting from Manewada Square to Besa Square have grown manifold in last few years. All buildings here hosts shops facing the main road. While shop-owners take all rules for a toss, the supervising authorities are lenient and least bothered to take act against the violators.
A senior police official with Ajni traffic branch on anonymity stated, ‘we make assure there is smooth flow of traffic and remove all possible encroachments. The problem along Besa road is that the concerned police station along with NMC and grampanchayat should act unanimoulsy tackle problems in the area. We have already written letters to grampanchayats to draw their attention and have powers only to regulate and penalize traffic offenders. We are aware that shop owners erect pandals, place mannequins and standees, blocking the footpaths and view on the turnings. The officer has also served in other areas of the city strongly advocated that if all concerned agencies act in-collaboration, the ‘standee’ problem across the city can be easily tamed.