Mumbai has no hawkers policy despite expert help

Around 68 per cent of the population in urban cities are employed in the unorganised sector and in that around 25 per cent employment itself is generated in the hawkers’ sector. Therefore, no developed city can ignore hawkers remarked Rohit Shinkre, principal incharge of Academy of Architecture (Rachana Sansad) Mumbai, who was appointed in the two-member committee formed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the year 2014 to study and to look after the space planning and design issues in the city to implement hawking policy. However, the BMC has not implemented any of the suggestions given by the committee till date.

Shinkre stated that it is a complex subject and the major factor associated with it is the economy (earning), but unfortunately the debate on hawkers is always politicised.

He said, “Earning is not a crime. It is their source of livelihood. Hence, regulation of hawkers is the need of the hour as it will eventually decrease the number of hawkers also.”

In addition, the expert committee report stated that it is not only regulating hawkers, but also at the same time regulating the public space, parking menace and other as these all aspects share the same space as what hawker occupy as usually hawkers are only being considered as the main reason of traffic obstruction which is half the truth.

Shinkre remarked that in the study done it was suggested to the BMC to select a few wards of the city as on pilot project basis to regulate time for hawkers like for example until 11 am hawkers should not be allowed near railways or bridges or at public places as people rush for their office, they want to catch trains, etc and also to regulate what kind of goods hawkers can sell like in morning time people like to have tea or snacks rather buying vegetables.

The committee undertook the field survey in the year 2013-14 in three wards of Mumbai-Dadar, Andheri East, and Chembur. It also suggested that footpaths, which have a larger space, should allow hawkers. As the Street Vendors Act 2014 itself gives protection of livelihood and regulation of street vending.

While Ranjit Dekhane, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (DMC) (removal of encroachment ) claimed that currently there are only 18,000 licensed hawkers and around 99,435 hawkers are awaiting for license. He stated that a survey would be done to identify who are involved in this business before 2014 and to them only the license would be issued.

Though in the year 2014 the court directed to regularise hawkers the civic corporation failed to implement it even today. The DMC of municipal body defending the move said, “It’s a long process, also though centre guidelines was received, state issued the hawkers scheme in January 2017. Therefore, it got delayed as the Scheme is all about identifying hawker and no-hawkers zone, pitches for hawkers and other. “

Also, he further claimed that within ten days a town vending committee centrally, would be established which was been lagging since three years.

As hawkers are yet to be regularized usually BMC officers are seen taking action against them. In July, the BMC took action against 24,895 hawkers. Similarly, in August and September action was taken against 19,902 and 19723 hawkers in all 24 wards of the city.

Also, recently the civic corporation has started action during night time against hawkers to resolve traffic woes of the city. A senior civic officer remarked that in every ward a separate nigh squad is made available as usually people complain that during night time the number of hawkers increases eventually creating lot of congestion creating inconvenience to the pedestrians and motorists to a larger extent.