THANE, March 10 -- The newly elected mayor of Bhiwandi has opened his tenure with some tough talk: fix the city's chronic traffic congestion or enforce the daytime ban on the entry of heavy vehicles into the city. That was Mayor Narayan Choudhary's message to the traffic authorities and civic administration after he announced his ultimatum on Monday. Heavy vehicles have always been a defining feature of Bhiwandi, a powerloom town that has morphed into a modern logistics hub on the edge of Thane city. Clogging the city's arterial roads and spilling into smaller lanes are multi-axle trailers, container trucks and tempos ferrying goods to and from Gujarat and Nashik to various places in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including the Jawaharlal Nehru Port. It was Bhiwandi's growth as a logistics hub in recent years, with state-of-the-art warehouses scattered all over, that caused a massive surge in heavy vehicles using its roads. Small-scale industries such as furniture units and timber factories only add to the street-side chaos as trucks with supplies swallow the streets. In light of frequent accidents and protests from residents, Choudhary has given the traffic and civic authorities a week to resolve the city's traffic problems. It's a tall order but Choudhary means business. He says if things don't improve, he will enforce the ban on heavy vehicles, which kicks in during peak hours - 8am to 11and 4pm to 9pm. At the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), Choudhary discussed the issue with the civic and traffic brass on Monday, including municipal commissioner Anmol Sagar, deputy mayor Tariq Momin, assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Sharad Owhal, police inspector (traffic) Kishor Kharat, among other senior officials. While acknowledging the spirit of the ultimatum, a senior traffic police officer said enforcing the ban would plunge Bhiwandi and its surroundings into a different kind of chaos. "If we are to halt trucks and trailers at the city limits during peak hours, where will they wait? There is just no space," he said. Moreover, the time-sensitive logistics industry has learnt to navigate Bhiwandi's chronic congestion and still manages to deliver goods to the depots of various brands and their customers, meeting promised timelines. Restrictions on heavy vehicles could majorly disrupt supply chains. "No one wants traffic chaos to continue; what we need are long-term solutions," said a source in the logistics space. "That would benefit everyone." While the mayor's ultimatum has caused concern among traffic and civic authorities, and the logistics industry, Choudhary is concerned for Bhiwandi's citizens. "There have been cases of school buses with small children stuck in traffic for over three hours, while labourers and office-goers routinely get late for work," he told HT. "There have been several instances where heavy vehicles have caused fatal accidents. I want heavy vehicles to be diverted outside Bhiwandi's city limits. If the traffic is not brought under control, I might completely ban the entry of heavy vehicles in the city," he said. Choudhary also instructed the municipal administration and police to take strict action against illegal constructions and encroachments, which block traffic movement. He has asked for joint inspections and enforcement drives. The authorities were also told to ensure that parking zones are properly regulated. Heavy vehicles passing through Bhiwandi use several key routes. Vehicles approaching from Nashik, JNPA and Mumbai generally use two main routes: the first runs from Mankoli on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway via Anjurphata and Nadi Naka, while the second route is exclusively for traffic from Nashik and begins at Vadape on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway. It passes through Chavindra and Vanjarpatti before reaching Anjur. Similarly, heavy vehicles approaching from Ahmedabad use two major routes to enter Bhiwandi. One route starts from Chinchoti (Naigaon) and proceeds through Kaman-Kharbao-Anjurphata to Bhiwandi, while the other begins at Majiwada and passes through Kalher and Anjurphata before entering Bhiwandi. Motorists and other residents say the stretch between Anjur Phata and Nadi Naka has become a flashpoint. Viren Singh says, "I drop my son to school in Dhamannaka on my bike and it takes me 40-50 minutes to cover just 2 km. Moreover, the roads are terrible, with deep craters, and are a death-trap. It is routine for bikers to be knocked down by trucks and crushed to death." Deputy mayor of Bhiwandi, Abdul Rashid Tahir Momin, confesses that the city's civic infrastructure has "completely collapsed". Although a partial daytime ban on heavy vehicles is in place, trucks move through the city unchecked all day, aided by rampant bribery. "I have held several meetings with municipal and traffic police. They make promises but nothing changes. Every month, someone dies because of potholes or heavy vehicles," Momin said, adding that even basic road repairs would help ease the crisis....