Navi Mumbai: Various political parties to protest today; demand for hawkers' provision in city DP 2018-38

Various political parties under the banner of the Ghar Haq Sangharsh Samiti will organise a protest at the civic headquarters in Belapur today, demanding a provision for hawkers and street vendors in the development plan (DP) published in August 2022.

The group will also demand an extension of the deadline to submit objections and suggestions during the protest which will begin at 3pm. The group has alleged that the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) DP for the next 20 years only has provisions for the rich.

Ghar Haq Sangharsh Samiti president Hiraman Pagar said that the draft DP 2018-38 does not have a provision for hawkers. “After studying around 400 pages of the DP, we could not find provisions for vendors,” alleged Pagar.

He added that the Street Vendors Act, 2014, states that space should be reserved for street vendors or hawkers for 2.5% of the total population of a city. “Can the civic body show any provisions in this regard in the draft DP,” Pagar questioned, adding that the civic body must make reservations of plots for hawkers under the Street Vendors Act.

The group further alleged that there is also no provision for daily wage labourers. “Many labourers do not have houses. They sleep on the footpath at night after working at any odd place during the day. The DP must have provisions for them as well,” said Pagar.

There are also demands that the DP must give clarity on the existing slum clusters in the city. “There are around 156 slums of which only 40 have been notified by the government. The remaining have no mention. Where will they go if there is a development plan for these places,” said Pagar.