Mumbai: On Thursday, the BMC demolished 52 stalls near Matunga post office which were illegally occupying the entire footpath alongside Telang Road and Bhankarkar Road for the past several years. In the past, too the F/north office of the BMC had attempted to remove these stalls, but because of heavy political pressure it had to abandon the plan.
However, on Thurday, a large civic demolition squad accompanied by policemen bulldozed the stalls much to the relief of pedestrians and motorists. These stalls were the source of traffic jams since citizens were forced to walk on the roads because of the heavy encroachment of the pavements.
BMC demolishes 52 illegal stalls near Matunga Post Office, clearing footpaths for pedestrians | File Photo
Assistant Municipal Commissioner of F/North ward Nitin Shukla said, “We removed the stalls which were running without licences and others which were encroaching the footpaths.” However, local residents say many of the stalls, including the flower shops were back on the site by late in the evening.
“There is no point in taking actions if the footpaths are to be encroached within a few hours. The ward office did a good job in evicting the unlicensed hawkers, but by evening, 60 to 70 percent of them are back,” said Chetan Trivedi, a resident of Matunga.
BMC demolishes 52 illegal stalls near Matunga Post Office, clearing footpaths for pedestrians | File Photo
Incidentally, customers have often found that the flower and garland sellers were overcharging them. There were allegations that the stalls were removed at the behest of a big builder. Several builders are eyeing the prime post-office plot which is apparently being opened for redevelopment with additional FSI. The redevelopment cannot be undertaken with the stalls on either side of the plot.
As per the statement issued by the BMC, out of the 52 stalls evicted, 22 were unauthorised and 30 were encroaching the footpaths.
