India, Dec. 9 -- Since April this year, the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has seized as many as 450 hand carts and similar equipment used by hawkers to sell their wares across key cantonment areas; officials said on Monday. While the action came on the heels of mounting complaints from cantonment residents about worsening traffic, garbage and other health hazards linked to unregulated vending; residents have urged the PCB to follow-up on the anti-encroachment drive with regular street cleaning, waste disposal, and inspection of stalls so that the hawkers (and their hand carts/equipment) do not return after a few days.

The crackdown since April focused on busy roads and bylanes including M G Road, East Street, Kedari Road, Babajan Dargah Ch...