BMC removes stalls at Matunga flower market, vendors demand answers

Matunga flower vendors say civic officials began razing structures without checking or giving time to clear out

Vendors at Matunga's famous flower market, upset with the BMC, claim that they have licences but the civic body still took action against them on Thursday and Friday. BMC officials, meanwhile, claimed that action was taken against expansion and encroachment on public areas. Shankar Lingam, a senior citizen, said, “My father used to run this stall which is now 60 years old. I've been running this stall for 47 years, said Lingam. We have a licence. 

We covered our stalls with BMC permission 30 years ago. On Thursday, BMC pulled down our stalls using a JCB (backhoe loader). Being licence holders, the BMC should have given us time to prove our legal status.”

The destroyed flower market  

Dwarka Bhalerao, another flower vendor, said, “We have a licence which is 50 years old. My father-in-law started this stall and I've been running it for the last 35 years. We have never faced action like this.”

According to Bhalerao, the vendors weren’t even allowed to remove their stock from the stall. “BMC officials came all of a sudden and started the demolition using the JCB.”

Dwarka Bhalerao, a flower vendor

Flower vendor Ganeshan said every stall owner stocks flowers worth at least R15,000-R20,000 and most of it has been damaged during the BMC drive. “We organised a protest march along with MLA Captain R Tamil Selvan to the ward office. We have demanded strict action against the officials responsible for the action on Thursday,” he said.

Sundarajan Pandaraman, too, asserted that the BMC did not give any time before the drive. “We have never faced action like this as we have licences. My father Sanmukham started this business and I'm running this stall now. The officials didn’t ask to see our licences; they directly started taking action,” Pandaraman said.

BMC officials said action was taken against unauthorised expansion and encroachment on public areas. A total of 52 shops were removed on Thursday and 30 on Friday. Among these, 14 shops were encroaching on public spaces, while the remaining had unauthorised extensions.

MLA Selvan told mid-day that the flower vendors are licenced but the BMC demolished their stalls without giving them time to submit documents to prove legality.

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