E-Paper
MG Road hawker association agrees for mall at Fashion Street
Pune: The MG Road Hawkers and Pathari Association Seva Sanstha, the umbrella body of Fashion Street hawkers, has communicated to Pune Sub Area about its consent for the construction of a mall at Fashion Street on East Street in Pune Camp
Pune: The MG Road Hawkers and Pathari Association Seva Sanstha, the umbrella body of Fashion Street hawkers, has communicated to Pune Sub Area about its consent for the construction of a mall at Fashion Street on East Street in Pune Camp.
The letter by the association addressed to army authorities reads, “Our association is ready for a mall at Fashion Street situated at Survey No 390/2501 as per the suggestion given by you. Hence, request you to give us an appointment to meet you in person to discuss the issue.”
Association president and advocate MV Akolkar said, “The terms laid down should be a win-win situation for us and without any litigation. Vendors who figure on the original list of hawkers should be accommodated in the mall.”
On March 26, around 600 shops were gutted after a major fire broke out at the Fashion Street market. While there were no casualties in blaze, the head of Pune Cantonment Board’s (PCB) fire department was killed in a road accident while returning home after dousing the fire.
Fashion Street adjacent to MG Road is a famous ‘window shopping’ destination that houses small outlets selling garments, shoes, goggles and other accessories. Local traders said there were 448 registered shops and over 200 unauthorised outlets located in the market.
A joint fire audit report submitted by the chief fire officer (CFO), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the PCB fire brigade superintendent in 2018 stated that the market does not have sufficient exit points in case there is a fire and people have to be evacuated.
In 1997, MG Road was cleared off by unauthorised vendors and the administration provided these hawker stalls of five feet by four feet and totally 565 shops came under the agreement.
