Find solution to hawkers menace, Bombay high court tells BMC

The problem of hawkers encroaching upon the city’s streets cannot be effectively tackled unless the ward officer and local police are made responsible

The Bombay high court on Friday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to come up with an effective solution to tackling the recurring menace of hawkers.

The judges said the hawkers are evicted, but always return to the same spot shortly after municipal officials leave. (HT File Photo)

“We want the corporation to come up with an effective solution to tackle the problem,” said the division bench of chief justice Manjula Chellur and justice Girish Kulkarni.

The court was referring to the repeated eviction of hawkers from the roadside by civic officials. The judges said the hawkers always return to the same spot shortly after municipal officials leave.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Naosherwan Mohammed Yousuf, complaining about a large number of hawkers in DN Nagar.“There is hardly any space for people to walk,” said the bench, looking at photographs submitted by the petitioner, which show the roads completely encroached upon by hawkers.

They added that the problem of hawkers encroaching upon the city’s streets cannot be effectively tackled unless the ward officer and local police are made responsible for keeping the roads free of hawkers.

The BMC’s lawyer, Shobha Ajitkumar, said hawkers are regularly evicted by civic officials with the help of officers from the DN Nagar police station, but they always return.

“If the municipal corporation cannot come up with a way to end the problem, then nobody else can,” said the judges.They posted the PIL for further hearing on March 29.They ordered the civic body to come up with an effective solution by then.

Read

Maharashtra govt clears hawkers’ policy ahead of Mumbai civic polls

Civic body takes tough stand against hawkers in Ulhasnagar

Mumbai civic body acts against 1.1 lakh illegal hawkers