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.