Tackling the hawker problem needs innovative solutions

Hawkers seen outside Borivali West railway station on December 17, 2024, even as a BMC vehicle is stationed at the location; this was after the road was cleared following a mid-day campaign the previous month. File Pic/Anurag Ahire

It is one of Mumbai's most enduring battles - citizens vs hawkers. Now, this has taken a new turn after a BJP MLA suggested that the BMC should destroy impounded goods, rather than returning seized material to hawkers.

After a meeting with several stakeholders, the MLA suggested one way to stop the ‘boomerang' effect, which is illegal hawkers returning after they are removed from the spot, within a day or even hours, is to confiscate their goods. These items should not be returned to them, as is the case. If goods are repeatedly taken away and not returned, illegal hawkers will be discouraged and, in many cases, unable to return. This is because of having to buy the goods repeatedly.

What happens now is that the BMC takes action, but hawkers are back at the same site because after paying a fine, the hawkers get back their goods. While it may seem shocking, it is certainly worth exploring. These hawkers will be unable to bear losses all the time and disappear. They will then have to get legalised in proper spots going through a process or stop the hawking in that area.

Tough problems with seemingly no end, need such out-of-the-box ideas as otherwise there is no way to ensure that anti-encroachment drives are effective long-term.

It is obvious by now that these have not worked and therefore it needs a different approach altogether. Marking of hawking zones, confiscating licenses of legal hawkers who actually ‘sublet' their area to other hawkers and legal hawkers who overshoot their designated boundaries are some other ways to give more teeth to the anti-encroachment drives. Hawkers and citizens may co-exist but in an orderly way.