It is ridiculous to see the conversion of a double-lane road around the Ambedkar stadium into a narrow road and encouraging encroachments
MCK and Police officials are also encouraging encroachment of footpaths on their respective shopping complexes in Karimnagar town
Traders are converting the parking space as their permanent adda, and in futur,e they would create more hurdles if the authorities do not rise to the occasion
If encroachments are not removed, they would turn into a big menace by securing hawkers’ rights and causing serious traffic snarls
KARIMNAGAR, FEBRUARY 20, 2026: Mounting illegal encroachments coupled with weak traffic police deployment have pushed the civic infrastructure of Karimnagar town to a breaking point, leaving pedestrians and commuters to bear the brunt of worsening chaos in the city’s congested bazaars and arterial roads. With no visible enforcement by teams of the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar, the situation in several busy market areas has deteriorated sharply.
A visit to any of the city’s roads, including the busy Collectorate, Ambedkar stadium, MCK shopping complex, Old Municipal Guest house, Tower circle, and other so-called ‘Smart City roads’, revealed that a large number of shopkeepers have extended their establishments up to the middle of narrow roads, drastically shrinking the already limited pedestrian space. Shoppers are forced to squeeze through cramped passages, often competing with moving vehicles for the right of way.
The officials and rulers should remember that the road around the sprawling Ambedkar stadium in Karimnagar was a double-lane with a central lighting system. But, the officials in the name of the Smart City project, had converted it into a congested narrow by allowing the traders to encroach on the footpaths and parking spaces by erecting their shops.
Incidentally, a fruit vendor had literally converted the parking space into his own premises by erecting the fencing around his shop and locking the premises to protect his products. Later, this situation would continue with other shoppers also and cause serious traffic woes in the entire Karimnagar town.
It is time for the Municipal authorities and the traffic police to clear the encroachments of the roads. The Traffic police should accord priority in the removal of encroachments of the roads to ease traffic congestion instead of focusing only on imposing challans for not wearing helmets, wrong side driving or illegal parking, etc.
Observers attribute the worsening conditions largely to a lack of coordination between the civic authorities and the police administration.
The Lok Satta Udyama Samstha leaders say that the MCK had itself attained the dubious distinction of encroachment of parking spaces by taking up plantation and converting the lush green lawns into parking lots on the premises of the Collectorate in Karimnagar town. The MCK decision to erect fencing in various parts of the Collectorate is causing several hardships to the employees and the people visiting the office for redressal of their grievances.
