The Free Press Journal

Surat Municipal Corporatio­n cracks down on hawkers to reclaim city streets

The Surat Municipal Corporatio­n has launched a major crackdown on hawkers and street vendors who are illegally occupying the city’s arterial roads, streets and lanes. The move is aimed at decongesti­ng the city and reducing traffic jams during peak hours.

“We have made about 47 routes in the city as ‘no hawker zone’ by removing the roadside stalls and hawkers,” said an SMC officer. “We are committed to making Surat a ‘no encroachme­nt’ city.”

The SMC has identified a total of 119 ‘no hawking zones’ across the city. However, encroachme­nt is still prevalent in some of the high-traffic areas such as Nanpura, Chowk Bazaar, Sagrampura, Dindoli, Limbayat and Udhana.

The SMC has formed special teams to remove encroachme­nts and patrol the no hawking zones from 4 pm to 12 pm. The teams are equipped with GPS-enabled vehicles that are monitored by the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).

“The patrol team has been instructed to make 10 rounds on the fixed routes,” an SMC officer said. “If there is encroachme­nt on the routes again, it will be the full responsibi­lity of the patrol team.”

The SMC’s crackdown on hawkers has drawn mixed reactions from the public. Some residents have welcomed the move, saying that it will improve traffic flow and make the city cleaner. Others have expressed concern about the impact on the livelihood­s of hawkers and street vendors.

“The SMC should provide alternativ­e space for hawkers to operate,” said one resident. “Otherwise, they will be forced to operate illegally in other areas.”

The SMC is currently in the process of identifyin­g alternativ­e space for hawkers. However, it is not clear when or where this space will be made available.

In the meantime, the SMC’s crackdown on hawkers is likely to continue. The city has a long way to go before it can achieve its goal of becoming a no encroachme­nt city. But the SMC’s recent efforts are a step in the right direction.

“We are committed to making Surat a no encroachme­nt city,” said SMC Chief Shalini Agarwal.