TRAFFIC BLOCK AT CRAWFORD MARKET
Cops remove encroachers from trade hub ……..Viju B I TNN
Mumbai: Are the roads and bylanes in your locality encroached by hawkers and vehicles parked illegally? Your neighbourhood police station may just be able to solve the problem.
The Pydhonie police station had set an example that others could well follow. It played a proactive role in removing hawkers and creating separate zones for vehicles to offload goods on the congested Abdul Rehman street at Crawford Market.
Four months ago, the footpath was occupied by hawkers and pedestrians were forced to use the road. As a result, there was a constant traffic block, forcing BEST buses to stop plying on the route.
The removal of illegal hawkers from the road comes under the jurisdiction of the BMCs encroachment department and the police usually do not take cognisance of the matter.
In this case, when repeated complaints from shopkeepers to BMC officials did not evoke any response, they approached their neighbourhood police station for a solution.
Abdul Rehman Street is the nerve centre of the wholesale market for books, stationery and toys, with around 600 shops operating there.
The hawkers were on the footpath. Even after they were removed, they came back within a few days, said Gaurav Nishar, president of the Abdul Rehman Street and surrounding streets association.
The shopkeepers then sought the help of the Pydhonie police to solve the issue. Initially, our request took the police by surprise, but then they agreed to do the needful, Nishar said.
Senior inspector Shamsher Pathan deployed a sub-inspector and two constables to book motorists for illegally parking their vehicles on the road. We created separate zones and timings for vehicles that entered the street to offload goods. The result was remarkable. In a months time, the choked street was cleared of all blocks. The BEST buses, too, resumed plying on the road, said sub-inspector V Bhosle.
Earlier, said shopkeepers, it used to take around 30 minutes to reach Pydhonie from Crawford Market if motorists used Abdul Rehman Street. Now, it takes barely 6-7 minutes. Our business has improved and people have started visiting the place again. If we want to compete with the shopping malls that have come up in the area in terms of cleanliness and facilities, we have to remove hawkers from Zaveri Bazaar and Crawford Market and make it a shopping paradise for pedestrians, said Nishar.
Civic activists welcomed the police initiative. Other police stations should follow suit and help those who have been complaining to the civic authorities against encroachments, said Rajesh Darak, an activist.
NO HAWKING ZONE: Gaurav Nishar (centre), the owner of Oswal book depot, helped the Pydhonie police make the area hawker-free