<img title="Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/mar/Ajoy-Mehta-a.jpg" alt="Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner" /> Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner
A fortnight since the deadline for suggestions and objections on hawking zones elapsed, BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta says several residents objected to zones in their areas due to a "not in my backyard" mentality. Mehta spoke to mid-day on encroachments and the 'boomerang effect' - civic authorities clear illegal structures only to see them return.
We saw some aggression and friction in the clearance of encroachment as well as removal of illegal hawkers... We have made a very conscious policy decision that pavements are for walking and not for conducting business. Yet, we also have to keep in mind that there is a Protection to Urban Livelihood Act.
<img title="Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/mar/Ajoy-Mehta-b.jpg" alt="Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner" />
BMC clears encroachments, but they re-appear. This 'boomerang' has become a joke with people, and you all the laughing stock. What do you have to say on that? I agree that at some places 'deviant' behaviour takes place, but it's not everywhere. We have to get right the balance of right to livelihood and the right of pedestrians. We have the Town Vending Act, which tells us to identify the hawkers, see their licences and mark the pitches.
How many legal hawkers are there in Mumbai? A 2014 survey puts the number at 90,000. We've to verify the hawkers, define locations and mark pitches.
You have invited objections and suggestions from citizens on the proposed hawking zones. There have been a lot of objections... Yes, there is a not-in-my-backyard sentiment when it comes to hawking zones. These objections are going to be examined by a Town Vending Committee. There will be a site visit to the proposed location. Then, it will be re-examined, after which a final call will be taken.
When BMC vans come to clear away encroachments, some illegal stalls are tipped off beforehand. Locals have seen and heard illegal stall owners say: 'abhi maamla garam hai' (the issue is hot) and bide their time only to return. (Laughs) There will always be deviants. We cannot have a Utopian society, but we have to keep trying to keep encroachments away. We need effective machinery and laws to go with this. It is a continuous process. Yet, the more you define, the more you codify, the clearer it becomes.
Some of these illegal stalls have become too entrenched, having been there for years. Are you clearing up the wrongs of the past, and will encroachment-free roads be your legacy to this city? Well, every era has its good and bad. We simply have to concentrate on correcting the wrong. I do not think it is my legacy, but it is my duty to the city.
90,000 Number of hawkers across the city as per a 2014 survey
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Mehta spoke to mid-day on encroachments and the 'boomerang effect' - civic authorities clear illegal structures only to see them return

Ajoy Mehta attributes objection to hawking zones as residents' selfishness

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Ajoy Mehta attributes objection to hawking zones as residents' selfishness

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