Residents want PMC to be proactive in tackling illegal hawkers

Time of India

6 days ago

Pune: People have urged the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to remain vigilant and proactive in dealing with illegal hawkers who continue to occupy streets despite repeated actions and cause traffic issues.
According to the civic data, Rs95 lakh have been collected in fines from nearly 8,000 roadside vendors in the last six months.
Drives against unauthorised hawkers are welcome, but they should be carried out consistently, said Anil Patil from Kothrud. "Walking on the road has become a tough task for pedestrians. Not only hawkers, but also their customers are creating a nuisance," he said.
Bavdhan resident Prasanna Balsare said a dedicated team should be set up for this purpose.
"Many hawkers are repeat offenders; they come up again within a day or two after the action."
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PMC officials said the exercises are frequently conducted at popular locations such as FC Road, Laxmi Road, J M Road, Sinhagad Road, and Wadgaonsheri.
"Action is taken in association with local ward offices. PMC received many complaints about illegal hawkers and the nuisance caused by them," said Sandip Khalate, head of PMC's anti-encroachment department.
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Hawkers said the much-talked-about hawker zones are not proving useful as the civic body has not done enough for their publicity and as a result, most of them fail to attract visitors.
"Facilities related to the safety and security of hawkers and their businesses are missing," said Sanjay Shanke of Janeev Organisation, which works for hawkers.
Sankhe said PMC should conduct a biometric survey of street vendors, distribute new certificates, and reduc their fees.
Clean water supply, drainage lines, toilets, roofs for protection from the heat and rain, lighting, and CCTV cameras should be provided at the zones, hawkers said.
Available data shows that there are around 22,000 authorised hawkers. PMC received 38,000 applications when a survey began around four years ago. The administration finalised 525 zones against a demand of 1,900 zones made by hawkers.
Who are street vendors?
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, defines street vendor as a person engaged in vending articles, goods, wares, food items, or merchandise of everyday use or offering services to the general public, in a street, lane, sidewalk, footpath, pavement, public park, or any other public place or private area, from a temporary built-up structure or by moving from place to place.
It includes hawker, peddler, squatter, and all other synonymous terms which may be local or region-specific; and the words "street vending" with their grammatical variations and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.
What action can be taken?
The law aims to protect the right of vendors but they are liable for action if they flout norms. A fine is charged if a vendor is engaged in activities without a certificate of vending, contravenes the terms of the certificate of vending, or contravenes any other terms and conditions specified for the purpose of regulating street vending. The fine can be extended up to Rs 2,000 as may be determined by the local authority.