New Hawking Zones Including Sitabuldi Main Road in Nagpur
The Town Vending Committee (TVC) has officially designated 47 hawking zones within the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits. This decision comes after the deletion of six zones from the original list of 53 hawking zones identified in 2016.
Despite controversies, Sitabuldi Main Road remains on the list of hawking zones, while the market alongside Orange City Street and five others have been removed. Street vendors are now permitted to conduct their business exclusively within these designated hawking zones.
Previously, the lack of notification for hawking zones led to actions against vendors during anti-encroachment drives by the NMC and city police. Simultaneously, unauthorized hawkers created obstacles to the free movement of vehicles. A few months ago, the TVC was established to address these issues and ensure that specific areas are allocated for roadside vendors, following intervention from the Maharashtra Government due to High Court directives.
The meeting held on November 28 finalized the 47 hawking zones, according to a senior NMC official. The 2016 identification of 53 hawking zones, done without forming the TVC, faced objections from traffic police for several zones, as reflected in the TVC meeting minutes.
“Six of the previous 53 hawking zones have been deleted, and the TVC members have unanimously decided on declaring 47 hawking zones,” stated Abdul Razzaq Qureshi, a hawkers’ representative and TVC member.
Only those with NMC vending licenses will be allowed to conduct business in the identified hawking zones. Despite the announcement of 47 hawking zones, NMC lacks updated data on the number of hawkers in the city. A 2016 survey recorded 33,000 hawkers, but the figure has increased significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Qureshi mentioned that there are currently over a lakh vendors, and the exact figure will be determined after NMC conducts a fresh survey of hawkers across corporation limits. Accommodating such a large number of vendors in 47 hawking zones poses a significant challenge for the civic body.
While determining hawking zones, the TVC should have considered all 10 zones. However, the TVC deleted the only hawking zone under the Laxmi Nagar Zone, where unauthorized markets have proliferated due to the absence of an authorized NMC market. This zone includes Deo Nagar, Khamla, Pratap Nagar, Trimurti Nagar, Sonegaon, and parts of Wardha Road.
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