MUMBAI: With the assembly polls being only a few months away, politicians have weighed into the wrangle over the BMC’s drive to register hawkers in the city.

The MNS seems to have grabbed the opportunity to fight for sons of the soil, demanding that 80% of the hawkers’ licences be granted to locals only. Party workers, led by Dadar corporator Sandeep Deshpande, gheraoed the local licence inspector at the Dadar (W) ward office on Tuesday. As soon as the inspector entered his office around 11am, the party members barged in and staged a demonstration. But the officer clarified the workers staged a protest but did not assault him.

Their demand was that the BMC must incorporate a clause in the new hawker’s policy about preferences to be given to sons of the soil. “We want that 80% licences be given to locals. Also, the BMC should add the clause that every hawker applying for a licence should submit a domicile certificate,” said Deshpande. But he denied that they were raising the issue to woo voters before the assembly polls. “This is our party policy and it has got nothing to do with the elections,” he maintained.

The demonstration was staged even as the BMC carried out a survey of hawkers, collecting their personal and biometric details, and registering them. Under the drive that started on July 18, all vendors will be given ID cards and allotted specified spots for hawking.

While the MNS has picked up the cudgels for sons of the soil, the Shiv Sena seems to be in favour of the registration drive. When asked about their view on the MNS’ demand for domicile certificates for hawkers, Yashodhar Phanse, chairman of the civic standing committee, said, “The BMC has to go with the Supreme Court order. We can’t make any change.” The SC order says every state must have a policy for vendors and hawking zones must be earmarked.

Both the BJP and NCP feel the current survey should be stopped and that the authorities should follow the earlier hawkers’ data for registration. But the NCP also feels preference shoud be given to those living in Mumbai and not in Thane or Kalyan. NCP leader Dhananjay Pisal said, “The BMC may get fake documents from hawkers.” Though the Congress welcomed the drive, opposition leader in the BMC Devendra Amberkar said, “They should have done it earlier.

Times View

The citizen’s views should count when something important as important as a hawker registration drive, which can change the contours of Mumbai’s streets forever, is being done in the city. Letting narrow political agendas come into play — and manipulating or rigging the registration drive — could cause Mumbai permanent damage.

