Mumbai: The BMC is set to undertake the eviction of unauthorised stalls at the Colaba Causeway, the famous shopping street in south Mumbai. After a long legal battle, the HC on Tuesday officially signed an order directing the BMC to evict all unlicensed hawkers in Colaba. The eviction will be done under heavy police protection as resistance from the hawkers is expected.
Out of the total 253 stalls at the Colaba Causeway, only 83 are licenced hawkers. The court has ordered the eviction remaining remaining 170 stalls. “We are waiting for the copy HC’s written order, which is expected within next two days. As soon as we recieved the copy, the action eviction of unlicenced stall will be undertaken,” Assistant Municipal Commissioner of A ward Jaideep More told the FPJ on Wednesday.
However, the resident activists’ of Colaba ward that there will be several resistance from the hawkers for demolition and many stalls are owned by political karyakartas. “Local leaders are creating pressure on the police and BMC retaining them for removing illegal hawkers. It is said that the leaders’ own karyakartas have set up multiple stalls at the causeway,” said a Colaba resident Deepaq Silan.
“The BMC has admitted in the court that only 83 are legal hawkers, but due to pressure from local leaders, they are trying to increase the number of legal stalls to 200,” Silan alleged.
However, the assistant municipal commissioner refused any change in number of legal stalls. “As per BMC record, only 83 are lisceced hawkers and rest will be evicted as per high court order,” More said.
On March 26, the HC had verbally directed the BMC to evict the unlicensed hawkers after the civic body informed it that there were only 83 licensed hawkers in the area, as opposed to the 253 claimed by the Colaba Causeway Tourism Hawkers Stall Union.
However, granted time till March 31 after the union requested time to vacate the hawkers, who are their members. The court had said it would sign the order on Monday.
The HC order gave a sigh of relief for residents of Colaba who have been fighting for long to have hawkers free footpaths in the hustling bustling south Mumbai street.
