Objections to hawker zones in three areas

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s plan to declare 47 hawker zones across the city hit a roadblock after it received objections for three areas — Sitabuldi Main Road, Jaripatka Road and Jagnade Chowk Road in Nandanvan.A three-member special committee formed by the municipal chief and comprising Abdul Razzaq, Sachin Punyani and Kaustav Chatterjee, conducted a hearing on these objections on Thursday. The committee will submit its report to the town vending committee.In November last year, the town vending committee had identified 47 hawker zones and removed six zones from its earlier list of 53 zones.Nilesh Gaidhane of Nandanvan area objected to the TVC’s decision to declare a stretch of road near Jagnade Chowk as a hawker zone. He said declaring a hawker zone in this part of the already busy area would add to chaos.Nitin Lalwani, a lawyer, disapproved of the decision to designate Jaripatka Main Road as a hawking zone. He said that establishing a hawking zone would upset the tranquility of this neighborhood, which is already chaotic because of the NMC-run Ginger Mall and a vegetable market. Lalwani said, “Vehicles parked in internal lanes by buyers visiting these places block entry to our homes.”A Supreme Court ruling was cited as the reason why hawking zones are prohibited within 150m of any market or mall. Lalwani cited the NMC’s decision to declare a hawking zone in Jaripatka, which is only 20m from these two locations, as being in violation to the ruling of the Supreme Court.Sitabuldi Merchants Association’s Vijay Agrawal objected to the hawking zone on the Sitabuldi main road. The NMC’s 2009 decision to remove this busy road from the list of hawking zones is in conflict with the allowance of hawking on this route. “The business of tax-paying shopkeepers here has been affected by hawking on Sitabuldi Main Road,” Agrawal said, calling for the reinstatement of the 2009 decree.