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On Friday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will undertake a 15-day massive anti-encroachment drive on 45 prominent roads in the city to evict hawkers from various pavements. However, the move comes against the backdrop of a failed five-year long drive to make city roads free of hawkers.
| Pics: Mohan Patil |
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• As part of its 2007 campaign, the PMC anti-encroachment squad cleaned up the pavements near Shaniwarwada on Thursday. (above) There were no takers for the Otta stalls which were build to rehabilitate roadside vendors near Dengale Bridge
In 2007, the civic body had announced Hawkers Policy in which it had decided to make roads as hawker-free zones. In its three-stage campaign, it was decided to clear 30 out of the 45 prominent roads of encroachments in the first phase. In the span of five years, two civic officers were made in-charge of the Department of Hawkers Rehabilitation Policy.
Till date, the department couldn't make a single road hawker-free zone even after spending nearly Rs 10 crore on building 1,178 otta stalls to rehabilate hawkers.
Every month, the anti-encroachment department had taken action against 150 hawkers, but it was observed that they returned to the same spot the next day.
According to officials, the PMC could rehabilitate only 30 per cent of the authorised hawkers at the otta stalls.
Now, the PMC has handed over the special charge of anti-encroachment drive to Additional Municipal Commissioner Rajendra Jagptap. The decison was taken after a meeting of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the city police and the Pune Municipal Corporation.
| Meawhile on anti-encroachment... |
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• A day after the anti-encroachment squad of the PMC demolished several illegal structures (above) in Laxminagar, Yerwada, the encroachers started rebuilding their shops (R) on Thursday
In the past, Pawar, who is the District Guardian Minister, and various District Planning Development Committees had issued orders to take strict action against encroachers. “We have identified various chowks and roads where hawkers are obstructing the traffic. Our priority will be to ease traffic congestion,” said Jagtap.
He admitted that the civic body failed to find an effective mechanism to curb the menace. “In many cases the hawkers returned to the same place within a few hours of our drive. We need a dedicated police station to deal with this issue. The decision is pending with the State government,” he said.
Speaking about the other issue that has been stalling the rehabilitation process, Ramesh Shelar, head, Anti-encroachment Department, said, “We had sanctioned Hawkers Policy in 2007, but it couldn't see the light of day as the Central government started formulating a nationwide policy for hawkers. It has not been approved yet.”
Road to demolition
Air port Road, Bajirao Road, Shivaji Road, Satara Road, Jangali Maharaj Road, Shastri Road, Shankarset Road, Tilak Road, Karve road, Paud Road, Karvenagar Road, Fergusson College Road, Laxmi road, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune Station road, Ambedkar road, Market Yard road, Kumthekar road, Sinhagad Road, Prabhat Road, Spicer College Road, NIBM Road, Nagar Road, Pashan Road, Koregaon Park Road, Shivajinagar District Court Road, Swargate Chowk, Gokhale Road
Otta stalls razed
 Following lukewarm response from fish and chicken vendors, the PMC on Thursday demolished the otta stalls near Dengale Bridge and has decided to start a beautification project.
A few years ago, after the vendors had refused to shift from pavement to the elevated platforms, the civic body had carried beautification work.
Nasima Sheikh, a chicken vendor, said, “In 1998, the PMC had offered to build permanent stalls. We had to pay Rs 40,000 each. But due to lack of consensus between us, nobody shifted.”
Besides this, the vendors rejected the proposal fearing loss of business. “It would have become inconvenient for both, the customers and the vendors. The PMC should have built the otta stall on this side of the road,” said Rambhau Tikone, a fish Vendor.
When asked, local corporator Sangita Tikone said, “I don’t know whether there was a proposal for allotting the space to vendors, but now the PMC has started a beautification project.”
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04:23:28 PM