Nightmare awaits visitors at Juhu beach

MUMBAI, December 17: Sanjay Saraf, employed with Hoondalani Finance as a manager, went to Juhu beach to unwind after a hectic week at offic...

MUMBAI, December 17: Sanjay Saraf, employed with Hoondalani Finance as a manager, went to Juhu beach to unwind after a hectic week at office. He now swears he will never go there again. “There are a bunch of hoodlums waiting there to loot you. I’d much rather stay home,” he says.

He is referring to hawkers at the beach. And his anger is justifiable. He paid Rs 100 for five air-gun shots which he was told would cost him Rs 1 before he was handed over the gun. “They were demanding Rs 475 saying I had fired 95 rounds! When I said I would complain to the police they said you can’t reach them before paying us,” he said.

Sanjay’s is not an isolated case. Several visitors to the beach have similar tales to tell. And it’s not only the air-gun stall, the nightmare can happen even after a pony ride, as this reporter found out.

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On Tuesday, this reporter visited Juhu beach posing as a customer. A pony ride for Rs 10 for a certain number of metres was agreed upon with one of the men handling the horses. The horse covered a distance of nearly 25 metres, but the person looking after the horse claimed eight rounds had been completed and demanded Rs 160.

When told that barely 25 metres had been covered and that a sum of Rs 10 had been agreed upon, he entered into an argument and was soon backed by three other persons. One of them threatened this reporter, telling his men: “Isko line men lekar jao.” Even a threat to call the police didn’t work. Finally, when this reporter convinced them he had only Rs 30 on him and was unable to pay more, they allowed him to leave.

This is now the norm now. Hefty amounts are extracted from entertainment freaks wishing to enjoy a pony ride or try their hand at air-gun shooting on the beach. The sum, and the extent of arm-twisting, differs according to the type of customer.’

The hawkers’ modus operandi: if someone wants to try the air-gun, speak too fast about the rate per try and confuse the customer. After this, place the gun in his hand, and while he’s firing, load another gun quickly without giving him time to count the number of shots.

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Then get your cohorts around, argue and intimidate. As far as pony rides go, intimidation and threats do the trick. When some local hawkers were questioned about such blatant use of muscle power, they replied: “We pay Rs 500 per day to the police.

There’s no need to be afraid of them.” Refuting this charge, senior police inspector of Santacruz police station, Arvind Mahadik, said the district collector had ordered removal of hawkers for visitors’ convenience, but the hawkers’ union had challenged the order in High Court, which has brought a stay. The case is still pending.

A member of Shramajivi Kamgar Sena, a union representing hawkers at Juhu beach, said, “At times, a few unscrupulous hawkers come from elsewhere and harass visitors to malign us.” He said hawkers were working to provide entertainment to visitors and added they never charge more than the prescribed rates.

A staff member of Juhu Beach Khadya Peya Vikreta Co-operative Society, Gulabrao Patil, said only 40 food stalls and 20 other stalls are members of his co-operative, the rest are running illegally.