Mumbai: More than a year after its planned rollout, four months after the formation of the state policy, and a week after the Bombay High Court’s strong observations, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) finally moved on Monday to set up the Town Vending Committee (TVC), which will be entrusted to conduct surveys to identify street vendors, issue certificates to eligible vendors, recommend areas to be declared non-hawking zones, identify sites and spaces for hawking, regulate timings, etc.
The Central government had enacted the Street Vendors (Protection Of Livelihood And Regulation Of Street Vending) Act in 2014. Maharashtra had published a draft notification in October 2015 and had invited suggestions and objections on it.
The Monday meeting was convened by BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta in the wake of strong observations by a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court last week over its failure to regulate street vending in Mumbai, to not only protect the livelihood of hawkers, but also the rights of pedestrians on footpaths.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner (DMC) Ranjit Dhakne told The Hindu , “Following the meeting, we will immediately advertise and begin the process of setting up the 20-member TVC. We have also decided to action against shop owners who have encroached upon footpaths.”
Superintendent of Licenses, Sharad Bande, said, “We (the BMC) could not proceed until the rules and scheme for street vending as well as the policy was formulated. Once it was issued in January, we had to wait for the civic elections to be completed.” Mr. Bande said a strict zero-tolerance policy on street vendors cooking and hawking eatables on roads and footpaths will be enforced. Mr. Dhakne added, “Five members of the TVC, chaired by the BMC chief, will be administrative officials including the Mumbai police commissioner, traffic commissioner, and joint commissioners. Seven TVC members will be from residential and business associations, banking organisations and public associations.”
The remaining eight posts on the TVC will be filled up by holding elections of hawkers' representative bodies.
In February this year, Maharashtra Lokayukta had issued orders on the case after deputy municipal commissioner Kiran Achrekar (K/West Ward) and Mr. Bande had submitted that the State government had taken a decision on January 9, 2017, to constitute the Town Vending Committee. The submission was in response to a case filed by a hawkers' organisation from Andheri, a western suburb of Mumbai, regarding the rampant corruption of civic and police officials.
State Lokayukta M L Tahliyani said in his order, “According to the government resolution dated 9th January, 2017, a scheme has been framed for protecting the street vendors. It is submitted by Mr Bande that the survey will be completed within six months and thereafter, street vending licenses will be issued. As such till the survey is conducted, the provision of the particular Act will not be applicable. Therefore, if any action is being taken by the BMC or police against the street vendors under the existing law (section 102 of the Mumbai Police Act), the said action cannot be said to be violation of any rights of street vendors.”
General Secretary of the Maharashtra Street Vendors Welfare Association, Farooq Chaus, said, “We approached the Maharashtra Lokayukta's office with a plea to end the daily corruption of police officials. Vendors are offered a choice to either grease their palms, or pay a fine of Rs 1200. Even when we opt to pay the fine, they take ₹50 more as bribe. The BMC pulled out the much-delayed GR by the State government and assured the Lokayukta that street vending licenses would be issued to the hawkers after six months. Three months have elapsed since their promise, and the BMC is yet to even set up the TVC. Can we expect the work will be completed in another three months?”
