Newspaper vendors to mayor: Allow us to work near railway stations

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As the BMC prepares hawking and non-hawking zones according to the Bombay High Court's directions, the newspaper vendors' association wants it to allow them to work within a 100 metres radius of railway stations. They have written to the mayor demanding that permissions be granted to them for this.

Last year newspaper vendors were spared in the drive by railway authorities and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against hawkers across the city following the Elphinstone station stampede.

That was done following Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' intervention in the issue after few BJP leaders and association members approached him. Now the association, along with several other leaders in the BMC, has written to mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, to help them get approval for the same.

The BMC is considering drafting a new policy, after a proposal by Anant Nar, the Improvement's Committee chairman, about separate rules for stalls run by the handicapped and milk vendors on footpaths, which were approved by the group leaders in a meeting last month.

A civic official said, "It is a High Court order that there should be no hawking in the radius of 100 metres around railway stations and so we will have to check if the demand of these vendors can be considered. Last time the action was stalled as the CM had intervened, but for a permanent solution, we will have to check with our law department."

Mahadeshwar was not available for comment.

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