A bustling lane in Chembur devolved into chaos on Sunday after a group of shopkeepers told illegal hawkers not to cripple their business by blocking the footpath. The shopkeepers said the roadside vendors became aggressive and abusive, forcing them to call the police. Shop owners from across Mumbai said the matter has now reached tipping point and the authorities must find a solution to this menace. Shopkeepers insisted they are not against licensed hawkers.

A group of unauthorised roadside vendors in Chembur turned violent on Sunday when they were asked by members of a shopkeepers’ association not to block the shops’ view and customers’ movement. The drama unfolded on the Narayan Gajanan Acharya Marg, popularly known as N G Acharya Marg, which runs parallel to the railway tracks near the Chembur station in the west.