Mumbai, August 11, 2026: Following a Bombay High Court order, the BMC is issuing QR code-enabled identity cards to 99,435 hawkers identified in its 2014 survey, at a cost of nearly Rs 1.75 crore. Around 55,000 hawkers have been issued the cards so far, with the civic body aiming to complete the exercise by August 31.
The initiative, launched in June, seeks to identify authorised vendors and curb illegal hawking by creating a verified database of registered hawkers. The exercise, however, overshot its initial deadline after several registered hawkers were found to be away from Mumbai during verification. The verification also found that 3,167 hawkers identified in the 2014 survey have died.
Licence Transfer Under Consideration
The BMC is considering a policy to allow eligible legal heirs to take over their vending licences, while using the QR-based database to strengthen enforcement against unauthorised hawking. The civic body had floated a tender for printing the cards at Rs 168 each, an official said.
Meanwhile, to fast-track complaints and disputes involving street vendors, the BMC has proposed a three-member Grievance Redressal and Dispute Resolution Committee, to be headed by a serving or retired City Civil Court judge. The panel will have a five-year tenure.
Hawkers' Policy Implementation Gains Pace
The BMC's hawkers' policy stems from the Street Vendors Act, 2014, and subsequent Supreme Court directives. A civic survey identified nearly 1.65 lakh hawkers across Mumbai, of whom around 99,345 completed the documentation process.
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Implementation remained stalled for years amid litigation and disputes over vendors' eligibility, but gained momentum in April with the formation of the Town Vending Committee (TVC), which is tasked with overseeing implementation of the hawkers' policy.
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