190 hawking zones on the anvil….Linah Baliga
SC-Appointed Commission Suggests Allocating Most Areas For Street Sellers In Fort
SC-Appointed Commission Suggests Allocating Most Areas For Street Sellers In Fort
A three – member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to help resolve the constant battles between the sellers and walkers on the street has marked out 190 hawking zones in Mumbai to accommodate more than 18,300 vendors.
The zones will be spread across the citys 24 wards, though a large number will be concentrated in wards A (Fort), L (Kurla), N (Ghatkopar East), S (Bhandup West) and T (Mulund West). Only ward C, which includes Marine Lines, has been exempted by the committee, which comprised an ex-city judge, a senior civic official and a traffic police nominee.
Mumbai, at present, has about 2 lakh hawkers, of which only 15,159 are authorized.
The panel had in the past suggested creating 221 hawking zones, but pruned down the list after meeting opposition from NGOs like Citispace and local corporators.
The committee was set up in December 2003 after the apex court observed that the right to hawk was related to the pedestrians right to movement. In February 2007, its members approved 221 roads as hawking zones. Objections from citizens and subsequent meetings, however, forced them to delete 31 names. The panel was eventually dissolved on November 30, 2010, by the SC, which then asked the municipal commissioner to appoint a senior officer to look into the matter.
Of the 190 hawking areas recommended by the committee, the most19 or 10%fall in A ward. They include congested and narrow roads like Dalal Street and the southern side of the footpath on Sir Phirozeshah Mehta Road.
Significantly, Hill Road in Bandra (West) and Linking Road have been left out of the list. Equally importantly, Bandra (W) along with Dadar (West) has the least number of hawking areas. In Bandra, only Turner Road and Gazdar Bandh Road have been earmarked for 202 pitches or hawkers. And in Dadar, only T H Kataria Road and Andhra Valley Road have been marked out.
According to the state government, hawkers will not be permitted within 150 metres of railway stations and within 100 metres of hospitals, educational institutes and places of worship. This, however, does not include PCO booths for the handicapped, cobblers stalls, Aarey milk booths and other licensed stalls, according to sections 313(A) and 313(B) of the BMC Act 1888.
The draft hawking policy (formulated by the BMC) cannot be finalized right away since the state government has asked for an amendment in the Police Act and section 313 of the MCGM Act 1888, said additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani. The government wants to first make unauthorised hawking a cognisable offence to create a deterrent for those who do not follow the law.
– The 31 roads deleted by the SC-appointed committee were not fit to be declared as hawking zones. This step in addition to the amendment in Police Act will really help citizens. At present, the fine for illegal hawking is only Rs 1,200. But, once the amendment is passed, the fine will be Rs 5,000 for first time offenders, Rs 50,000 for second time offenders, and the third time, it will be six months imprisonment…. Atul Vora | CITISPACE ACTIVIST
– The only solution is to develop municipal markets to ensure that all licensed hawkers are given proper facilities so that they can work with dignity….Vidya Vaidya | TRUSTEE, H (WEST) CITIZENS TRUST
– We only have an issue with the hawkers on Station Road in Mahim. While the draft policy will come in handy in reducing hawking zones in our ward, we are not holding our breath for it. A special surveillance and encroachment removal squad is in the process of being created for the G (North) ward in Mahim. This squad will help remove hawkers….Herman Dias | MEMBER, ZAMEEN ALM, MAHIM