Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 28: After submitting a list of 20 hawker-free zones to the Bombay High Court last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now gearing up to replicate the model across all civic wards. The move comes as complaints mount over footpath encroachments and shrinking pedestrian spaces in key areas of the city.
At a recent internal meeting, Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani instructed ward officers to identify specific stretches in consultation with local police that could be permanently cleared of hawkers and closely monitored. These zones will be jointly patrolled by civic and police personnel to ensure consistent enforcement.
“Complaints about hawkers taking over footpaths, especially in high-footfall areas, have increased,” a senior BMC official said. “We’ve been asked to strengthen manpower and machinery for enforcement. The idea is to create visible deterrence and prevent hawkers from returning.”
Citizens Raise Alarm
In May, several housing societies from Thakur Village in Kandivli East approached Mumbai North MP and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, highlighting unchecked hawker encroachments in their locality. Residents complained that despite protests and multiple written complaints, no concrete action had been taken.
Earlier in February, the Dadar Vyapari Sangh, a local traders' body, raised similar concerns, saying illegal hawkers in Dadar had grown to such an extent that they had to shut down a valet parking initiative due to space constraints and lack of support from authorities.
Political Pressure & Patchy Implementation
Activist Nikhil Desai pointed out that enforcement often collapses under political pressure.
“Even zones marked hawker-free like Dadar TT are overrun daily. In March, a ward officer who took action against illegal flower vendors outside Matunga station was abruptly transferred. That sends a chilling message to officials trying to do their job.”
He stressed that the only sustainable fix was relocation of hawkers to designated vending zones, not just intermittent drives that push the issue from one locality to another.
‘Stop Passing the Buck’
Rajkumar Sharma, head of Chembur’s Advanced Locality Management (ALM), said residents were left with no choice but to take legal recourse.
“BMC keeps passing the buck while footpaths vanish. Officials should act before residents are forced to go to court.”
While the High Court’s hawker-free zone directive was seen as a significant step forward, implementation on the ground remains uneven — plagued by manpower shortages, political interference, and infrastructural gaps.
As the extended list of hawker-free zones is set to be unveiled, all eyes will be on whether this initiative finally delivers relief to Mumbai’s beleaguered pedestrians — or becomes another well-intentioned plan lost in the city’s maze of enforcement challenges.