Don't patronise those using cylinders on roads

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sources have worryingly said that they are still looking for a solution to contain illegal cylinders being used for roadside cooking

Rampant use of illegal, hazardous cylinders by street vendors is on the rise across Mumbai, with 5,000 cases in just the first four months of 2019. Vendors in Mulund, Nahur, Bhandup, Jogeshwari and Bandra flouted rules by using cylinders on roads, with some even trying to conceal them under jute sacks, in a recent front page report of this paper.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sources have worryingly said that they are still looking for a solution to contain illegal cylinders being used for roadside cooking.

While the BMC claims they do act against hawkers and seize cylinders, cooking on the streets continues across the city in blatant defiance of norms. This is an alarming situation and we must see greater effort in stopping the use of cylinders. While cylinder companies have to be cautious about where the cylinders are being delivered, it is also a complex process. The option is to see that the cylinders are not used on roads for cooking.

We as people need to do our bit. We can stop patronising hawkers who use cylinders openly on roads for cooking. At times they are hidden, but, often, we see that they are there in the open. We should not leave everything to the authorities. If these vendors, using cylinders are patronised then it gives them more reason to continue doing this.

Given our crowded roads, the proximity of buildings, narrow pavements and number of pedestrians, cooking on roads is a combustible proposition. Stay away from these stalls and put your weight behind your local corporator if he moves on this issue.

Stopping use of cylinders on our streets should be a priority for the huge risks they pose. Do not wait for an accident to happen, to react to this. Locals should stand as one with the authorities as they tackle this.

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