Mumbai: Bandra residents allege harassment by hawkers amid Hill Road encroachment row

Garment hawkers occupy the footpath of Hill Road in Bandra West on Tuesday. Pics/By Special Arrangement

Two months after the ALM 74 of Bandra West wrote to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide about illegal hawkers encroaching on the footpaths of Hill Road, residents have accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of turning a blind eye to such activities.

After a site visit by Dinesh Pallewad, the assistant commissioner of the H West ward, on August 19, there was a crackdown on illegal stalls. But residents allege that it barely lasted a few days, with vendors rebuilding their makeshift structures on footpaths to resume plying their trade without fear of repercussions.

Civic officials told this paper that notices had been sent twice to the illegal vendors, along with the owners of properties allowing them to set up shop on their premises. But residents stated that the BMC hasn't received any responses despite the deadline elapsing on October 18.

Locals' allegations

Rohinton Polishwala, the chairman of the ALM 74, who wrote the first letter to the ward informing them about the encroachment and other issues, said, "We were very hopeful when the initial action was taken, but the hawkers whose shops were removed returned, and no further action was taken by the civic authorities. When we contacted them, they said that they were waiting for the Bandra fair and Dussehra to end, but no visible action has been taken to date."

Polishwala further added, "The deadline for replying to the notices elapsed on October 18. We just want to have a safe space to walk. Pedestrians are walking on the road because of footpath encroachment, and, right outside of our homes, hawkers are constantly heckling residents like me who have opposed their activities. How much more time will it take for the pedestrian- first policy to become a reality?" Locals further pointed out that other areas in Mumbai facing such issues have seen much improvement but feel that the same is not happening on Hill Road.

BMC Speak

Pallewad shared with mid-day a statement on Monday night that read, "Action has been taken against 57 unauthorised hawkers from August to September by the senior inspector of the encroachment eradication department of the H West division. Also, action was taken to remove encroachment on the additional space allocated to licensed stall holders. Furthermore, seven buildings received notices for allowing the use of open space for commercial purposes. One of them has approached the city civil court, challenging the notice. The ward had forwarded the instructions to the assistant law officer for further action in the matter."

A document shared by the H West ward read, "This office has sent letters to the assessment department for initiating penalty proceedings under Section 152A of the MMC Act against the buildings which have been sent the notices. Furthermore, the building and factory department, licence department, and maintenance department are jointly taking continuous action against businesses operating in the compulsory open spaces of various buildings on Hill Road."

‘Hawkers accused me of extortion!'

Bandra resident Leslie John Merchant claimed he was harassed by hawkers after taking photos of them. "On October 8, I went to Hill Road, as I had learnt that the mayor was visiting. I saw that several hawkers had moved into the bylanes of Bazaar Road to stay invisible during the mayor's visit. When taking a few photos of them, some hawkers confronted me, accusing me of taking money from someone to cause problems for them," he said.

Merchant added, "They kept screaming at me and surrounding me. One of them even shoved money in my pocket and claimed that I was extorting them in exchange for not reporting them to the officials. I was scared, so I called the Bandra police, who arrived at the spot and took two hawkers and me to the station. After narrating the whole story, I asked them to file an NCR [non-cognisable report] against the men, which has been done."

He also claimed to have sent a legal notice to the BMC and police, demanding action against the hawkers. A police officer said, "The NCR was registered on August 9, under Sections 352, 351(2), 115(2) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Preventive action has been initiated against the accused, Shakil Ahmed Qureshi and his son, Shahbaz, under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. A bond of Rs 75,000 has been obtained from each of them."

Oct 18
Day deadline for replying to notices elapsed