Raj Thackeray

illegal hawkers

BMC

Ajoy Mehta

MNS

Elphinstone Road

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chiefhas warned that his party will take action againstif thefails to implement the hawking policy and regulate street hawing. In a letter to Municipal Commissioner, Raj said that the BMC must not force theto take action.“Once legal hawkers are designated in a particular area, then stern action must be taken on illegal hawkers in that area. If the BMC doesn’t take action then we will have to take action in MNS style. But I hope that such a time will not come,” Raj said in his letter.Raj referred to last year’s stampede at Prabhadevi station (then known as) that claimed 23 lives. Post the tragedy, MNS had launched a campaign against hawkers. MNS workers were seen targeting hawkers in the vicinity of railway stations, beating them up, destroying their stalls and desecrating their wares. MNS functionaries Yashwant Killedar and Aditya Shirodkar met Mehta on Monday and handed over Raj's letter.Earlier this month, the BMC started marking hawking pitches in Borivali and Gorai as the first step in implementing its hawking policy. The Supreme Court had directed the BMC to implement the Street Vendors Act and create town vending committees to clear hawking licenses. The BMC then formed a town vending committee for the city.The BMC had published a list of 85,000 hawking pitches in January based on a 2014 survey. The list had drawn criticism, but since the BMC is revisiting the entire process, it republished the list and invited suggestions and objections. Officials said that the list was being scrutinised at the zonal level, while hawkers were simultaneously being issued licences. Once this is complete, they will be allotted pitches through a lottery system, officials said.In his letter, Raj also congratulated the BMC for regulating the hawkers. “Hawkers who had taken over footpaths and were sitting anywhere and everywhere are being regulated and being asked to sit a designated spots. I must congratulate the BMC for that but at the same time. It looks like the policy is being implemented at a very slow pace. The entire process must be fast tracked. Once hawkers are given licenses the BMC must ensure that there is not a single unlicensed hawker. If there are any irregularities in the process of issuing licenses, my party workers will bring it to the BMC’s notice. If they don’t listen, then they know how to make themselves heard,” the letter adds.