Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawde announces hawking zones and footpath reforms in Mumbai

Mumbairsquos newly elected Mayor Ritu Tawde a BJP corporator said removing illegal Bangladeshi hawkers from footpaths will be among her priorities stating that public spaces must be reclaimed for taxpaying citizens senior citizens and women She said the issue will be raised in her first meeting with the civic administration and officials will be directed to act against those operating without valid documentsDeputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi third from left in right frame at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquartersldquoWe will create hawking and nonhawking zones across the city There will be signage indicating nonhawking zones Places will be found for hawkers who have valid papers My letters have gone to the departments concerned to pay attention to the issue Regarding the illegal Bangladeshi hawkers I am going to ensure we take strict action against themrdquo she addedldquoThe state government has been doing this work We are visiting areas When we ask for an ID card or an Aadhaar card we realise that the cards are fakerdquo Tawde said an enquiry has begun in the N ward ldquoOfficials have been notified as most cases has been found in the area Everything will be checkedrdquo she addedTeen sawaal with the mayorAfter her first address to the 227member general body the mayor outlined her priorities including footpaths health infrastructure and active field presence She described Mumbai as cosmopolitan and inclusive while identifying herself as a Marathi mayor ldquoMy electoral ward 132 has a demographic dominated by Gujaratispeaking citizens Yet they came out in large numbers and voted for me a Marathispeaking woman This has always been the spirit of MumbairdquoMayor Ritu Tawde of BJP with Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi of Shiv Sena at the BMC PICSSAYYED SAMEER ABEDIDo you have a 100day plan like the chief ministerI will meet with all the officers concerned with the civic administration and take periodic reviews Health and education are my top priorities I want to ensure that the Rajawadi Hospital is upgraded to a stateoftheart facility and can be compared to AIIMS in Delhi Safeguarding the issues of the Marathi manoos is also my priority To restart Marathi schools that are closing down we will rope in the CBSE Board as wellHow will you work with a strong OppositionThe way they behaved in the House today Wednesday shows their sensitivity towards women But instead of operating the House they are more concerned about creating chaos My topic was for Mumbai and I expected them to listen calmly But their focus was on how to stop the mayor from speaking However I completed my speech respectfully Every ward is 40000 to 60000 people Citizens have stood in line for four to five hours and elected them Citizens have shown faith in elected representatives The Opposition should consider how they want to be viewed by their electorate As the mayor of Mumbai I aim to ensure I preside over the house in a neutral way without causing and tolerating commotion respecting the Opposition and considering their views as wellWhat work will BMC undertake for monsoon preparednessI have taken charge today you will see that I am on the field tomorrow Apart from my mayoral duties in the general body and in the BMC headquarters I am committed to doing my duty as an elected representative of the people of my constituency I want to focus on hospitals conduct surprise visits and ensure all facilities are in place Also there are no footpaths in several parts of the suburbs causing a lot of problems for senior citizens This will remain another focus areaFocus areasgtgt N ward flagged for higher instancesgtgt Document verification underwaygtgt Signage for hawking and nonhawking zones planned