The Indian Express            03.12.2013

MC move on hawkers, rickshaw pullers: Urban planners say bylaws are OK, but be careful

Urban planners in the city have struck a note of caution about the recently approved bylaws by the Municipal Corporation. The bylaws pertain to allowing hawkers to move on the V-5 and V-6 roads for selling their goods and another for giving licences to rickshaw pullers. The planners feel that there would be a need to keep a check on the number of licences being issued and ensuring verification of people being given the licences.

The Municipal Corporation, during the meeting of the General House held last week, took these decisions meant to benefit the economically weaker sections. It was unanimously approved that the street hawkers should be given licences and the permission to ply on V-5 and V-6 roads. The hawkers would be allowed to stand for half an hour at one place and sell their goods. It was decided that the rickshaw pullers would be issued licences which is not the practice currently adopted.

Dr Rajnish Wattas, a member of the committee that prepared the draft Master Plan and former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, says, "There is no harm in allowing hawkers on the V-5 and V-6 roads. However, the number should be restricted. The internal roads are narrow. If too many hawkers are allowed here, then it may prove to be a traffic hazard."

He adds that verification of the hawkers needs to be done. Verification of those who would be issued licences should be done so that possibility of a crime being committed is minimised.

At present, it is estimated that there are around 10,000 hawkers and 12,000 rickshaw pullers. However, none of them are registered. Instead, the main roads are lined with vendors who have encroached upon land and are selling goods. Once the bylaws are enforced, it is expected that hawkers from the adjoining areas would also come to the city and get themselves registered.

M N Sharma, the first Indian Chief Architect of the city, maintains that hawkers moving in the internal lanes to sell goods is a useful service. "A check should be kept to ensure that they do not stand on the road. Proper enforcement of the bylaws is important. If this is not done then chaos would be created. While we have bylaws for everything, these are not followed," he says.

Principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture Dr Pradeep Bhagat states that the V-6 roads should be excluded as it would only lead to chaos. The vendors should be restricted to the V-5 roads as otherwise traffic movement near houses could be hampered.

With elections to the Lok Sabha around the corner and this section being an important votebank, political parties are all in favour of these bylaws. In fact with an eye on taking credit, the mayor in the presence of local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and Congress councillors had announced the decision to present these agenda items in the MC House a day before the meeting of the General House.