PUNE The anti-encroachment squad of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), on Saturday, sealed 16 stalls at Pune’s popular Hong Kong lane in Deccan, on charges of violating corporation rules.
The municipal corporation took action after it received complaints related to encroachment and also subletting of premises in violation of the terms and conditions signed with the civic body.
A visit to the spot revealed that the shops were sealed by Saturday afternoon. Hong Kong lane is known for selling clothes, fashion accessories, purses and mobile covers at affordable prices, and is a very popular shopping destination.
As the message of the crackdown spread, shopkeepers chose to keep shops shut. The shopkeepers did not speak to the media. However, a vendor said that the vendors were being harassed and targeted for no reason in the aftermath of Covid-19 losses.
PMC’s anti-encroachment department head Madhav Jagtap said that the action has been taken as hawkers had sublet their premises to other hawkers.
“After checking the details of 37 stalls, we found that 16 of them clearly violated rules and were sealed. They will have to comply with the directions of the PMC and fulfil conditions. Only after that will they be allowed to open,” he said.
The survey report prepared by the anti-encroachment department states that the PMC had given certificates to hawkers in 2015 as per the hawkers’ rehabilitation policy. According to the guidelines, allocated space cannot sublet. Those who had sublet the spaces, upon detailed inquiries, were found out by the anti-encroachment.
{{/usCountry}}The survey report prepared by the anti-encroachment department states that the PMC had given certificates to hawkers in 2015 as per the hawkers’ rehabilitation policy. According to the guidelines, allocated space cannot sublet. Those who had sublet the spaces, upon detailed inquiries, were found out by the anti-encroachment.
{{/usCountry}}Fire brigade chief Prashant Ranspise, said that no fire audit has been carried out in Hong Kong lane till date.
Hong Kong lane
40 stalls
37 checked
16 anomalies detected and stalls sealed
Putting hawkers in their place
The anti-encroachment department of PMC has established 288 hawker zones in the city to rehabilitate hawkers. The hawkers carrying out business on busy roads and footpaths have been shifted to these designated places, identified after discussions with hawkers and their representatives.
As per the Supreme Court’s order issued in September 2013, the civic administration allowed all vendors to operate in urban areas. Even the state government had given instructions to allow hawkers in the city. As per the Supreme Court’s direction and the state government’s resolution, the civic body framed a hawkers’ policy and began its execution in the city.
The PMC passed a resolution to make 45 main roads and 153 chowks free of hawkers. With the policy being framed, PMC issued fresh approvals to new hawkers in the city and also conducted a biometric survey of these hawkers.