According to the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB), legal proceedings have been initiated against 322 hawkers for selling their wares on cantonment roads and footpaths in violation of police rules and the Cantonment Act apart from obstructing the smooth flow of traffic, creating hurdles for pedestrians, and threatening those responsible for exposing them. The PCB said that sustained action has been taken against these hawkers since 2020 under sections 102 and 117 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Cantonment police station in-charge Ashok Kadam said, “We have been taking strong action against the hawkers all these years and court proceedings have been initiated against 322 hawkers wherein their goods have been seized and cases have been lodged against them. They have to now pay fines in court to seek relief under the Act.”
Kadam said that they had been receiving numerous complaints from residents and the board administration regarding the hawkers encroaching cantonment roads and footpaths, and blocking the movement of traffic and pedestrians. Locals had often complained about hawkers encroaching M G road and the adjoining stretches and reducing carriageway width for vehicles in addition to encroaching footpaths and making it difficult for pedestrians to walk, Kadam said.
Chief executive officer (CEO), PCB, Subrat Pal, said that the board has taken stern action against these hawkers based on complaints received from citizens apart from informing the police and mooting legal action against them. At the same time, the Nuisance Prevention Squad (NPS), too, has been taking action against these hawkers for encroaching important roads in the area, Pal said.
{{/usCountry}}Chief executive officer (CEO), PCB, Subrat Pal, said that the board has taken stern action against these hawkers based on complaints received from citizens apart from informing the police and mooting legal action against them. At the same time, the Nuisance Prevention Squad (NPS), too, has been taking action against these hawkers for encroaching important roads in the area, Pal said.
{{/usCountry}}PCB chief health superintendent R T Shaikh said that the board has regularly seized goods and handcarts from unauthorised hawkers under the supervision of the administration. “The hawkers use portable carts with wheels to escape from the spot when we conduct raids. However, the NPS is taking strict action against them and seizing their carts as part of an integrated plan to remove them from the cantonment streets,” Shaikh said.
However, social activist Raja Bhau Chavan, said, “The action against these hawkers is an eyewash and the PCB and concerned authorities have no permanent plans to remove the hawkers from the streets. It is a well-oiled machine run with the tacit support of the NPS which alerts the hawkers beforehand and saves them from being booked. The NPS is in fact doing the opposite of what it is meant to be doing; it is selectively working to protect unauthorised hawkers.”