Panvel residents getting tired of govt’s failure to manage hawkers

G Mohiuddin Jeddy KAMOTHE: Panvel residents expressed their displeasure over the convenience caused by the rising numbers of hawkers in the city.

The civic body’s failure to act against hawkers has allowed them to set up illegal kiosks on roads and footpaths which has worsened traffic congestion in the city, they say.

Major roads, junctions and circles are regularly clogged by slow- moving traffic worsened by the presence of illegal encroachments by the city’s hawkers. Even parking zones have been usurped by them which, often, leads to heated arguments between drivers and hawkers.

Shivaji Chowk and Tapal Naka are the most affected areas as hawkers have made large encroachments on roads and footpaths there. More traffic isn’t the only problem caused by hawkers, say residents. They claim that the hawkers have worsened sanitation problems in the city by dumping waste on the city’s roads.

Some residents have suggested that the civic body shut down hawkers’ businesses to put an end to the menace. “Removing hawkers would solve all the problems of sanitation and waste management in the city” said Mathew, a resident of Panvel.

Others seem torn between the valuable service provided by many vegetable vendors and the large scale dumping of waste and traffic snarls caused by their presence. They advocate the creation of designated hawking zones in the city so that they are able to meet their daily needs without having to deal with the consequences of hawkers’ encroachment. “We are not asking for the hawkers to be removed but want them to be accommodates at designated places to avoid unwanted traffic congestion and sanitation issues,” said Sagar, a resident of Panvel.