No more hawkers soon within 150m of Thane rly stn

Thane: The municipal corporation has decided to permanently remove hawkers from the 150m periphery outside the Thane railway station in a bid to ease the present congestion in the area, municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar informed.
Bangar who surveyed the area earlier this week with his staff said this was the first step to streamline the congestion witnessed outside the railway station premises that witnesses a footfall of over 7lakh daily. The idea is to align the premises outside at both ends with the plans designed by the Indian Railways as part of the station makeover project.
“We have decided to revamp the 150m stretch around the railway station and our first focus is towards making it easier for pedestrians to walk around and reach the nearest auto/bus stand. Presently, hawkers pose a huge problem adding to the safety issue so we have decided to ensure the stretch is free from street vendors permanently. We will also ensure that adequate facilities for pedestrians including the existing skywalks, are kept in good condition,” said Bangar.
The commissioner has also directed his staff to discourage all illegal parking on streets in and around the premises and also ensure facilities like mobile toilets in the area are operational and maintained. The bureaucrat has also deputed an official and warned his teams of stern action if hawkers return to the spot.
It may be noted that the railways have planned a grand makeover of Thane station and easy mobility of passengers from one end to the other is one of the main targets of the same. The railways have recently communicated with the corporation to ensure that the movement is equally seamless when commuters approach or exit the station premises following which the corporation is drawing up plans for the same.
In addition, the corporation has also decided to provide an alternate temporary space for hawkers operating in and around the Talao Pali area to ensure the stretch is kept peddler-free and also the vendors don’t lose out their livelihood till a proper policy isn’t implemented.