The rise of IT companies and corporate offices in Vimannagar has coincided with an increase in food stalls, many of which take up entire footpaths and operate in unsanitary conditions.
Qaneez Sukhrani, a dedicated Vimannagar resident, has been actively urging the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to establish designated zones for licensed vendors over the span of five years. Her initiative aims to streamline the activities of licensed vendors and allocate specific areas for their operations, with the ultimate aim of enhancing pedestrian safety and maintaining smooth traffic flow within the residential areas.
"Despite the absence of permissions from both the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), these unregulated stalls persist. A concerning aspect is their use of gas cylinders in public spaces, a practice that is explicitly prohibited," she added.
Sukhrani also underscored the crucial distinction between these food stalls and fruit and vegetable vendors, as clarified by the High Court order against a PIL in 2014.
Her ongoing efforts to address this issue have led to on-site visits by senior officials from the PMC and Traffic Police. However, despite these interactions, the implementation of proposed changes remains pending, resulting in continued pedestrian congestion, traffic challenges, and a compromised pedestrian experience due to unauthorized encroachments, she stated.
Sukhrani's proposal revolves around the establishment of designated Hawker/Vendor Zones within residential areas. The primary objective is to alleviate footpath encroachments, bolster pedestrian safety, and create organized spaces for licensed vendors to operate.
The proposal encompasses several fundamental aspects:
In terms of no hawking zones, vending would be restricted on footpaths less than 3 meters wide and within a 50-meter radius of road junctions and intersections. Rigorous enforcement measures would be taken against any violations.
Prohibited hawking zones would include specific areas where vending would not be allowed, such as locations within 100 meters of transportation hubs and narrower streets.
On the other hand, approved hawking zones would be designated areas suitable for vending. This would encompass wider footpaths where only one side can be used for vending, road/street ends, and locations that do not obstruct pedestrian or vehicular movement.
The proposal also outlines regulations that would need to be adhered to. This includes a cap on the size of each hawker pitch to 1 x 1 meter in wider areas. A maximum of 10 consecutive hawker pitches would be allowed, and vendors would be responsible for maintaining cleanliness around their allotted spaces.
To ensure proper functioning, license and business regulations would be put in place. Licenses issued to vendors would be non-transferable, preventing changes in location, renting, selling, or altering their business nature. Displaying licenses prominently for public view would also be mandatory.
We tried reaching out to the Deputy Commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation's Encroachment Department, Madhav Jagtap but as of the time of publishing this news, PMC's version on the matter had not been received.
