BMC Forms Judicial Panel For Hawker Disputes

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed a three-member Grievance Redressal and Dispute Resolution Committee to resolve complaints and disputes involving street vendors in Mumbai.

The committee, headed by a serving or retired City Civil Court judge, will have a five-year tenure and will adjudicate disputes relating to licences, vending locations, and penalties.

The BMC has completed issuing QR code-based identity cards to nearly 48,000 eligible hawkers and is moving to establish the institutional framework for implementing the Street Vendors Act.

The long-awaited Town Vending Committee (TVC) is expected to be constituted within a week and will allocate authorised vending spaces.

The civic body has invited applications for the committee, with applicants required to be 35-65 years old, hold a recognised university degree, and have at least 10 years' experience in social work or street vendor-related matters.

Meanwhile, the BMC's verification drive has revealed that 3,167 authorised hawkers identified in the 2014 survey have died, and the civic body is considering a policy to transfer their vending licences to eligible legal heirs.

The BMC is also creating a verified database of authorised vendors and stepping up action against illegal hawking across the city.

The QR code-enabled identity card drive, launched in May, requires all 99,345 hawkers declared eligible in the 2014 survey to report to their respective ward offices for credential verification.

The BMC's efforts to regulate street vending in Mumbai aim to provide a more organised and efficient system for hawkers and the public.

The implementation of the Street Vendors Act and the establishment of the TVC and grievance panel are expected to improve the livelihoods of street vendors and enhance the overall urban environment in Mumbai.

The BMC's initiatives are part of a broader effort to address the complex issues surrounding street vending in Mumbai, and the city's residents can expect to see significant improvements in the coming months and years.