The Indian Express 20.12.2013
45 city roads to be hawker-free from today, ban on cooking food on streets
If Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is to be believed, from Friday city roads will be free of hawkers. The PMC on Thursday announced the implementation of hawkers policy and commissioner Mahesh Pathak repeatedly claimed that they will be the first civic body to do so. Hawkers will not be allowed on 45 main roads of the city and a ban will also be imposed on cooking food on city streets, Pathak said.
As per the directions of Supreme Court, the civic administration has set up a 30-member panel to implement hawkers' policy in the city. "The first meeting of committee held today approved various proposals of civic administration, which included making 45 roads free of hawkers," said municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak.
The committee includes 12 representatives of hawkers associations, six from NGOs, six from mohalla committee and six civic officers. The civic administration made a presentation of SC order in the first meeting of the committee before discussing its proposals.
"All the members approved the civic administration list of 45 roads for making them free of hawkers. Thus, 153 junctions on these roads will not have any hawkers," Pathak said. The suggestion to make available select spots alongside these roads for hawkers has been accepted but decision would be taken only after the committee gives feedback on the basis of consultation of the local police, he said.
Going by the SC directions, pedestrians should be able to use and only a maximum of one-third of the footpath area can be occupied by hawkers, Pathak said, "It means most of the footpaths in the city should be free of hawkers. There should not be hawkers near bus stops, hospitals, religious places, educational institutes."
Among other regulations, the policy clearly says that no cooking is allowed by hawkers. "All the eateries alongside roads which includes Vada paav centre, chinese food or other eateries that cook in open and sell products are banned," Pathak said.
The PMC will have 15 teams, one for each ward, to keep a check on illegal hawkers. Meanwhile, the civic administration along with hawkers' association would undertake a survey of hawkers which would include biometric record, GPS, fingerprint and Aadhaar card registration. The latest machinery for online registration and verification would be used for checking illegal hawkers. The license fee has also been revised with monthly charge ranging from Rs 750 to Rs 6,000 would be recovered from hawkers based on the location of their business. Earlier, the license fee was Rs 75 to Rs 1,500 per month.
The PMC will rehabilitate hawkers in the available commercial facility of civic body and is planning for weekly, biweekly market in various parts of the city.
"I have been doing business on footpath for last few years. The PMC has been taking action against us but its just for the sake of it. We continue to do business with support of civic staff and local politics," said a hawker. The hawkers get information of the civic drive in advance, he said adding, "We don't do business till the civic team leaves the location."
