The Times of India                24.01.2014 

Civic body starts process to identify hawkers zone

NAGPUR: Civic body is set to revise its hawker policy all over again as the state government has been sitting on earlier one made in 2009 for four years without taking any decision on it. This was told in the first meeting of 30-member Town Vending Committee held on Thursday.

Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane asked the committee to help civic body identify hawkers' zone afresh. The meeting was attended by NIT chairman Pravin Darade, police commissioner K K Pathak, DCP (traffic) CK Mina, deputy director town planning, representatives from hawkers' associations, residential welfare association and members from non-government organizations.

The city has over 40,000 hawkers, revealed NMC's market superintendent F Uike, adding that the members were asked to study the city's existing markets and submit suggestions by February 7. On February 10, the committee will meet again and list out the hawkers zones. "Hawkers will operate only in accordance with the policy worked out by the committee," he said.

Sources said as NMC had failed to create legal markets, unauthorized vegetable markets were mushrooming in various parts of the city. According to a survey carried out by NMC's market department, 30 unauthorized weekly and daily markets operate in different parts of the city.

Activist Kaustav Chatterjee, who is one of the members of the committee, appreciated the move by civic chief involving all stakeholders in decision making. "As a committee member, I need to know the viewpoint of hawkers too. I shall be visiting various hawkers' zones in next one week and interact with hawkers," he said. Hawkers' leader Nandkishore Sharma, who also attended the meeting, said, "The businesses that get affected while implementing the policy and fixing the zones should be rehabilitated by the civic administration. Eateries and food stall holders in the city should be recognized as per the provisions in the national policy."

Sharma said NMC should assure the hawkers it would not take any action against them under encroachment drives until the hawkers' policy is implemented. "The existing hawkers and kiosk-holders should be included in the policy," he demanded. Another vendor said the problems of vendors had aggravated because of lackadaisical attitude of the administration. "We are harassed and victimized by the officials NMC, NIT and the police, who target us for extra income and treat us with extreme contempt. The goods and belongings of the street vendors/hawkers are thrown away and destroyed at regular intervals if we are not able to meet the demands of officials," he alleged.