Mumbai: Hawkers upset as BMC chief ends meeting in 25 minutes

The town vending committee comprises 20 members, with 8 representing hawkers. File pic

The town vending committee has decided to submit a voter list to the state labour commissioner for the upcoming election of the new town vending committee. Hawker leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the swift conclusion of the meeting by BMC chief I S Chahal, which lasted just 20 to 25 minutes.

Dayashankar Singh, president of Azhad Hawkers Union, said, "Civic chief I S Chahal ended the meeting in a mere 20 to 25 minutes, leaving us insufficient time to advocate for the hawkers. While the BMC is disbursing loans to 1.5 lakh hawkers under the central government scheme, the voter list only comprises 32 thousand hawkers. This leaves us uncertain about the fate of hawkers not on the voter list."

Sanjay Gurav, a member of the town vending committee, supported this sentiment, and said, "Chahal indeed concluded the meeting within 25 minutes, offering no opportunity for discussions on the voter lists and hawker-related matters. The hawker policy is a long-pending and critical issue for the city, but the civic head allocated a mere 25 minutes for the town vending committee."

In response, BMC officials clarified that the meeting was specifically convened to address the voter list. The official stated, "We have received 103 suggestions and objections, and decisions have already been made regarding them. The town vending committee has approved the draft of the voter list, which will now be submitted to the state labour commissioner for conducting the election to select hawkers' representatives for the town vending committee. The labour commissioner will determine the election program."

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sanjog Kabre told mid-day, "We have already incorporated suggestions and objections, including changes to 8 names and the addition of 8 more names, which were addressed earlier. The meeting agenda was solely focused on the voter's list, which has now been approved. Our next step is to send this list to the labour commissioner."

The town vending committee will also offer guidance on the implementation of the hawker's policy. The central town vending committee, led by the civic chief, oversees seven zonal committees, each composed of 20 members, with eight of them representing hawkers.

32,000
No of hawkers on voter list