The BMC seems to have suddenly woken up to the fact that footpaths are for walking and have served notices to the outlets stating that having shops on the footpath is in serious violation of the law.
The Aarey Sarita booths at Worli sea face that received the notices
This paper's front-page report on three stalls just outside the Worli Dairy being deemed illegal and their owners being served notices after 40 years is an eye-opener.
While the report does quote the assistant municipal commissioner of the ward as saying that action will be taken after suitable scrutiny of documents, the leasees, on the other hand, said they had all papers, and wondered how they can be deemed illegal after nearly five decades.
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The BMC seems to have suddenly woken up to the fact that footpaths are for walking and have served notices to the outlets stating that having shops on the footpath is in serious violation of the law. The shop owners claim they have seven days to close, failing which civic authorities would bulldoze their outlets.
While we are for the rule that footpaths are for pedestrians — this paper had earlier made a strong case for the same — there is something to be said for outlets receiving notices after nearly 50 years.
If these are indeed in violation of the law, then what were the authorities doing not for a day, months, or even years, but for decades?
Not pointing to these establishments in particular, but this culture where structures are entrenched for years and one fine day somebody wakes up shouting illegal needs to be done away with.
Today, even if these outlets are to be done away with, there is something to the argument that Aarey Milk has put up such booths on footpaths across the city, so why take action only against this one?
Clearing roads and footpaths is necessary, but now we hope for a just and humane solution for those who already have their legal papers. This is not to take sides but to emphasise that justice must be done.
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