The State is to prescribe a date to the civic body, on the basis of which officials will finalise the list of legal hawkers and mark zones for them
Citizens will have to face hawkers’ menace for a few more months, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has still not got a cut-off date on the basis of which they will start finalising a list of legal hawkers, and the marking of hawking zones for them. The cut-off date was supposed to be set by the state government. However, in the past three months, due to elections and the formation of the new government, the whole plan has taken a back seat.
After the hawkers get legal status, they will also have to vend their goods in certain prescribed zones. Pic for representation
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About 99,400 hawkers have submitted the required documents and want legal status under the Street Vendors’ Bill, 2014. During their registration drive for hawkers, BMC had distributed more than 1.50 lakh forms, and after scrutiny 99,400 forms were accepted. The civic body had also formed a Town Vending Committee in the 24 administrative wards this year, to look after hawkers’ issues. It comprises BMC administrative officials, the ward officers
and hawkers’ representatives. The Town Vending Committee is supposed to meet once a month, but there has been no meeting for the past two months.
“We are waiting for a final cut-off date. Meanwhile, we have completed the survey and scrutiny, so a major part of this project is over. Once a cut-off date is finalised, we will start marking them places in hawking zones,” said Licence Superintendent Sharad Bande.
Hawkers have encroached on many places like Dadar’s flower market and Andheri station, making it difficult for commuters to walk there. In the past five months after the Street Vendors’ Bill was passed by the Central government, the BMC had surveyed all hawkers in the city. According to the new Bill, hawkers should be 2.5 per cent of the total population of the city.
Rules for legal hawkers
>> Only one family member will get a licence for hawking
>> BMC will mark hawking and non-hawking zones
>> Hawkers will be allowed to do business in demarcated hawking zones only
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