Residents of CBD Belapur demand hawker-free roads

CBD BELAPUR: Owing to the negligent attitude of NMMC’s antiencroachment cell, pavements and roads in CBD Belapur have been encroached by vegetable hawkers, leaving little space for residents to walk. While locals have demanded a hawker-free walkway, hawkers want a market space for them to sell their commodities.

Suhas Shinde, a local, said, “Roads and footpaths in the node have been taken over by vegetable vendors, leaving little space for people to walk. The civic administration needs to provide a market to hawkers to sell their commodities. This will help make the walkways free from encroachment.”

Harsha Patil, a vegetable ven- dor, said, “In absence of a proper marketplace for us, we have put up stalls along the roads and pavements to sell vegetables. While the NMMC provided us a marketplace earlier, it lacks basic amenities including toilets, drinking water, sheds and space to keep vegetables. How can we do business at such a place?”

Deputy municipal commissioner DS Chabukswar said, “There are four plots reserved in CBD Belapur. Once the civic polls are over, a decision will be taken on allocation of the plots to street hawkers under the National Hawkers Policy.”