Evicted hawkers return to claim public space in Kalyan

Two days after hawkers were removed from the busy market road of Kalyan (West), the area is slowly being encroached by hawkers again.

Two days after hawkers were removed from the busy market road of Kalyan (West), the area is slowly being encroached by hawkers again.

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On Saturday, the street, which was decongested after the eviction drive, saw hawkers setting up stalls.

The cat and mouse game between hawkers and civic officials continue after the massive eviction drive.

“We cannot stop doing business. Even if they remove us, we will come back until we are given proper space to do the business,” said Lakshmikant Waghmare, 45, a hawker who sells flowers on Shivaji Chowk, Kalyan (West).

Some wary hawkers are ready to hide their basketful of wares in case the eviction team comes.

Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and Kalyan traffic police forcefully removed hawkers occupying roads near Kalyan railway station on Thursday. The move was prompted by six hawkers who were arrested for creating a ruckus near Dombivli railway station.

The civic body removed hundreds of hawkers and vendors.

The KDMC’s action has angered the hawkers’ union who said the drive was because of political influence without even considering the basic rights of hawkers.

“The civic chief decided to take action in Kalyan when the incident of scuffle between hawkers took place in Dombivli. What is the link? He did not think about the civic body’s failure to implement hawkers’ policy,” said Arvind More, president of Mahanagar Hawkers’ Union, Kalyan.

The hawkers’ union has threatened to protest if the drive continues in the city.

“The civic officials climbed up the sheds of the shops and destroyed them. The shops are not illegal,” added More.

In 2018, the civic body had started demarcating spaces for hawkers’ zone. However, the April deadline was missed. Later that year, the civic body initiated verification of the surveyed hawkers to ensure they still operate in the city and are eligible for licensing in September 2018.

For the past five years, the civic body has failed to implement the hawkers’ policy. The civic officials cited election code of conduct, monsoon and even lengthy verification process for the delay in allotting space to hawkers and issuing them licence.

KDMC chief Govind Bodke said, “We could not conduct any meeting recently due to the elections. We will soon hold a meeting and allot spaces through lottery system for four wards initially.”

He said it is unlikely the hawkers’ policy will be implemented this year. “Meanwhile, hawkers should follow the rule to not occupy the 150-metre premises of station area.

The high court ban on hawking within 150 metres of railway station came after Elphinstone Road foot overbridge stampede in 2017 in which 23 commuters lost their lives.

CASE AGAINST TWO

A non- cognizable offence was registered against two people, who opposed the razing of an illegal shed on Wednesday morning.

The men cornered the KDMC ward officer Bharat Pawar after the shed was demolished at Sahajanand Chowk. They started arguing with him.

“An NC has been registered against the two and the investigation is on. They tried stopping the work,” said Pawar.