For nearly six months, Bandra residents and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) put up a determined fight to evict hawkers from Linking Road
For nearly six months, Bandra residents and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) put up a determined fight to evict hawkers from Linking Road, which was declared a no-hawking zone by the Supreme Court in 2007. However, the hawkers have once again taken over the roads and the pavements, courtesy the
local politicians.
Residents and local activists alleged that a few politicians had requested the cops and the BMC to stop the eviction drive during the festive season.
On September 8, Haji Ibrahim Sheikh, NCP Mumbai’s minority cell president and member of All India Haj Committee, approached officials from Khar police station and asked them not to take any action against the illegal hawkers on Linking Road.
Similarly, on August 22, Kavita Rodricks, local Congress corporator, also allegedly requested the police to let the hawkers be. However, when contacted, Rodricks refuted the allegations saying, “I went to the police station for some work. I won’t encourage illegal activities.”
On the other hand, Sheikh claimed that he visited the cops after he was approached by around 400 hawkers. “They came to me saying that it was the month of Ramzaan and they wanted to do business on Linking Road.”
Understandably, residents and activists are quite upset with the recent developments. Aftab Siddique, member of Citispace, sent a letter to the H-west ward office saying, “Linking Road has become commercialised to an extent that it has ruined the infrastructure of the area. Are BMC officials and police on the payroll of these politicians? Do they consider politicians above the SC verdict? “
Siddique also said that the civic body wasn’t following the court’s verdict, which demands stringent action against hawkers.“Also, BMC should install boards in the area declaring it as a no-hawking zone,” he said.
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