07 September,2016 06:44 AM IST | | Laxman Singh
Almost 99 % of the participants in a survey opposed BMC’s plan of allowing stalls in it; the civic body wants a Delhi Haat-like market in it
The Metro subway is one of the city's cleanest subways
The BMC's (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) ambitious plan of converting Metro junction subway into a hawkers' plaza has irked regular pedestrians.
Nearly 99% of participants in a survey opposed the civic body's plan of allowing stalls in it.
The survey conducted from August 30 to September 6 by Shiv Sena corporator Avkash Jadhav and local residents, includes 2,000 people. About 97% of users said that the subway should remain open exclusively for pedestrians.
The survey
The survey included five questions related to civic body's plan of having a market inside the subway on the lines of Delhi Haat.
Last year in June Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had supported a Delhi Haat-like market in the subway. As per the survey report, 84% of users said that they were happy with the BMC's maintenance of it, and did not want hawkers in the subway.
Jadhav said, "The BMC must hear the people instead of imposing their ideas on them. The survey shows that the subway must be kept free of any encroachment and citizens should be allowed only to walk in it."
Jadhav has already written to Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta demanding that the proposal to have stalls inside the subway be scrapped.
"We should be given a hearing by the BMC. If they still go ahead with the plan, we will move the High Court as the last resort," said Jadhav.
Recently, the Bridges department of the BMC, and the fire brigade, had stated that the subway was only for pedestrians and shouldn't be used for any other activity.
The Metro subway has no hawkers at the moment and is one of the city's cleanest subways.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner (A-ward officer) Kiran Dighavkar said, "The proposal has been submitted to the BMC chief. It is the administration which has to take a final call on the issue."
