BMC mulls change in Act to facilitate registration

“Since 2010-2011, we have been waiting for the state government to grant approval to this amendment to section 313 of the Municipal Act. It is uncertain when this amendment will come through, but with this, necessary hawkers such as the milkman, vegetables and newspaper sellers can run their business without problems. We have been writing to the state government to give its approval for this soon,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Mohan Adtani.

The recent eviction drive against hawkers who are a sustainable source for providing essential goods at cheaper rates to low and high income groups alike, has triggered a debate on the right to livelihood vis-à-vis the illegality of unlicensed hawking. Section 313 of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Act of 1888 pertains to the licensing of hawkers in hawking and non-hawking zones. Action against unauthorised hawkers is taken under section 314 of the BMC Act.

“As per a Supreme Court order, we can no longer grant licenses. This pegs the current number of licensed hawkers around 16,000 as of today, which is miniscule compared to the actual number of hawkers operating in the city. We want to let hawkers register with the BMC at least

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