After HC pulls up BMC and police for unauthorized hawker menace, Mumbai police finds 3 beat marshalls at fault, transfers them to control room

A division bench of Justices M S Sonak and Kamal R Khata was hearing a suo motu plea initiated by the court in February last year during which the bench observed that unauthorised hawkers have “virtually taken over street lanes and bylanes” in Mumbai with “no place for people to walk on footpaths”.

It had also pulled up the police for failing to act against them and said roads are cleared only during the visits of the Prime Minister and other VVIPs.

Subsequently on Wednesday, the Additional Commissioner of police Abhinav Deshmukh issued an order attaching the three policemen (beat marshalls) —Vinod Bapu Wagh of LT Marg police station, Prabhakar Talpade and Vaijanath Jadhav of MRA Marg police station— to the south region control room.

As per the order issued on Wednesday, a direction was issued by the commissioner of Mumbai police on June 24, 2019 which said that after the eviction of encroachments on footpath, it will be the responsibility of beat marshalls of the police stations to ensure footpaths are not encroached again by illegal hawkers.

However after Bombay High court’s order on Monday, officials from the Mumbai police inspected the footpaths and found that the area surrounding Badshah Cold Drink near the LT Marg police station as well as the area opposite Manish Market, Baburao Shetye Chowk and Hutatma chowk to Kala Ghoda, an area that falls under the jurisdiction of the MRA Marg police station, had pavements still occupied by unauthorised hawkers.

“It was despite the eviction action taken before due to which it was found that the beat marshals who were assigned the job have failed to perform their duty properly,” said an officer.

“Therefore, by this order, the police officials are attached to the South Control Room till further orders,” read the order issued by the additional commissioner of police.