Borivli Traders Protest Road Barricades: Business Hit by Traffic Closures
In a joint operation, the Borivli Traffic Division and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have sealed around 12 median gaps on SV Road in Borivli West to reduce traffic congestion. However, this move has sparked strong opposition from the Borivli Businessmen Association, as crossings outside the Indraprasth Shopping Centre, a significant commercial hub, have been barricaded.
In protest, the association has announced a three-hour shutdown of all shops in the centre on Wednesday morning, demanding that the barricades be removed to restore pedestrian and vehicular access. The centre houses around 300 shops and provides a popular shortcut for commuters heading directly to platforms 2 and 3 of Borivli railway station. Shopkeepers say the closure has forced residents and senior citizens to walk long detours, while motorists must now take a U-turn nearly 200 metres ahead near Borivli police station before looping back to the entrance.
Borivli Businessmen Association founder and trustee Mukesh Mehta stated, “This is harassment of shopkeepers running their businesses legally. The entry to our shopping centre has been blocked. People now have to take a U-turn almost 150-200 metres away, and then cover the same distance again to enter the mall. Senior citizens are facing major difficulties crossing the road. We have informed the BMC and the traffic division to remove the barricades, or we will protest on Wednesday. All shopkeepers will shut their establishments for three hours in the morning.”
Association trustee Varun Vasani added that shops across the stretch, including Thakkar Mall, are facing similar issues. “From Jambli Gully to the police station, not a single U-turn has been kept open. Instead of blocking roads, the authorities should clear illegal hawkers who actually cause congestion.”
Shopkeeper Kirti Rambhia, who runs a garment store in Indraprasth, expressed her concerns. “We have been running our shop for four decades, and this is the first time the authorities have blocked the entry and exit crossings. How will our customers come? Our business is being badly affected. We open our shops at 11 am, but we open the main gate at 9 am for people going to the station because our centre connects to platforms 2 and 3. We request that the barricades be removed, or we will join the protest.”
Indraprasth Shopping Centre chairman Lalit Jain highlighted the safety concerns posed by the barricades. “Indraprasth is private property, but we allow everyone to freely bypass through the centre to reach the station — it is a shortcut for commuters. In 2011, a major fire broke out here. The fire brigade could reach us only because the crossings were open. With these closures, emergency vehicles will struggle to enter. The congestion is due to hawkers, not vehicles.”
Sanjay Rajak of the Borivli Businessmen Association emphasized that traffic congestion near the station is caused by illegal hawkers, not by these gaps or crossings. Association president Khushal Gharod added, “We are taxpayers running legal businesses at Goyal Shopping Centre, Moksh Plaza, Thakkar Shopping Centre, and Indraprasth. Hawkers operate openly outside these complexes, and we are suffering losses while authorities block our crossings instead of removing encroachments. How are customers supposed to reach us? The Supreme Court has clearly ordered a hawker-free zone within 150 metres of railway stations, yet nothing has changed. Hawkers cause the traffic, not these crossings.”
The association has submitted letters to the Traffic Division, the police station, and the BMC requesting the immediate removal of the barricades. Local MLA Sanjay Upadhyay and former MP Gopal Shetty are expected to join Wednesday’s protest.
