Bombay HC Gives Maharashtra Final Chance To Present Time-Bound Hawker Scheme

Overview

• The Bombay High Court, which on Thursday heard petitions from street vendors, reprimanded the state and Navi Mumbai’s civic body for years of delay and demanded a concrete timeline to implement the Street Vendors Act scheme.
• The bench said it would set its own deadlines and hold officers in contempt after finding state and NMMC affidavits inadequate and noting that hawkers return soon after police clearances because zones are not clearly marked.
• Petitioners said the law protects vendors from eviction until surveys and vending zones are finalized and alleged NMMC seized goods without a panchnama, the written inventory that must record what was taken.
• State counsel said 316 Town Vending Committees have been formed and that consultations for a uniform policy are underway, a pace the court called half-baked and insufficient to justify more waiting.
• Reports differ on the next hearing date, but the judges pressed for a roadmap that completes surveys, issues ID cards, sets vending fees, and lays out fair rules for relocation and seizure to reduce street conflicts and ease daily trade.