On Saturday, a political party took the law into its hands and thrashed hawkers thronging the space outside Thane station
On Saturday, a political party took the law into its hands and thrashed hawkers thronging the space outside Thane station. This is not an out-of-the-blue development; following the Elphinstone Road tragedy, railway officials had neatly turned the heat off themselves and on to the hawkers, who have for long been targets of ire across Mumbai and its neighbourhood.
Despite innumerable efforts over the years to evict the city's ubiquitous residents, there has been very little success. They disappear following eviction drives, yet seem to grow in frightening numbers year after year.
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But, the question really is who is to blame for the thriving hawker trade in Mumbai. Who do these hawkers cater to? Who buys what they have to sell? Why do we have no problem walking an imaginary tightrope on the many railway bridges and footpaths while stopping to patronise the vendors who line them end to end? We cannot ignore the extreme convenience afforded by these hawkers. It saves the working populace of the city a detour to the sometimes inconveniently located general store or the local market. It is hard to ignore the affordability of the wares on sale.
Yet, is it worth the fear of a stampede we all have to live with now every time we spill on to the bridges and footpaths in hoards from railway stations?
The government can formulate as many policies as it wants, but the truth is that the hawkers will be a permanent fixture at the city's most convenient yet potentially dangerous spots, thanks to us. It is only when we refuse to buy from them at every single spot they set up shop at, that they will be forced to stop selling. It is not up to the next person to not buy, it really is up to us.
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