Mumbai: Highest number of hawking zones in Andheri, SoBo has lowest

Mumbai: All over Mumbai the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified 89,000 pitches for hawkers, out of which the highest number of pitches is demarcated in Andheri east civic ward which have  8,020 hawking pitches, while the lowest number of identified pitches is in Sandhurst Road civic ward with only 802 hawking pitches. The second civic ward which have more number of pitches identified is in Borivali (each-west) ward having 4,966 hawking pitches, similarly in Kandivali (West) there are 4,966 hawking pitches and in Malad West there are 7,728 identified pitches.

The BMC has set the new January 31, 2018, as deadline for citizens, activists, and residents associations to give their suggestions and objections, for  which only nineteen days are left.The BMC has extended time up to January 31 on plots(pitches) which are demarcated for hawking. The earlier deadline set by the civic corporation was up to December 19, 2017 however, after receiving complaints from nitizens on social media sites like Twitter the civic corporation has increased the time for another one month. The list of hawking zones and identified pitches has been uploaded on the BMC’s website for final suggestions and objections for citizens.

The list will be finalised only after the 20-member Town Vending Committee’s (TVC) gives their approval. Meanwhile, Godfrey Pimenta, Activist of Mumbai said no one wants hawking zone in their area, but time has come were people have to actively co-operate with BMC as some people livelihood is dependent on hawking.

In addition he stated along with hawking pitches the BMC should also consider those pitches which can cater the local population like the hawking pitches have been identified at MIDC Andheri, were one won’t go to buy their daily needs. Therefore the civic has to keep a check on pitches. In addition lot of corruption breeds like as the civic body has proposed to increase the number of hawkers in Mumbai from 22,097 to 89,797 as it has received many applications for hawkers’ licences , but at same time they should also identify who are real hawkers. As there are people who block the pitches and someone else do the business and the middle man makes profit, that should be stopped.