Hawkers not a menace for all

Hawkers, they are a problem and they are a solution. This is a story of two Indias, one that wants hawkers evicted so pedestrians can use the footpaths, and the other that wants them for the range of wares that they offer at affordable rates. The influx of cheap Chinese merchandise has only widened this gap.

Assistant commissioner of police Vasant Dhoble appears to have become a victim of this  dichotomy. He was on the street to evict the hawkers, which in fact is the job of the civic body, and in the commotion, one of the hawkers died, apparently due to a heart attack.  An inquiry has been ordered into the incident and the police officer has been shunted to the police control room, pending the completion of the probe.

Something seems to be incorrect here. Shouldn’t there have been an inquiry against the civic authority that allowed the spread of hawkers in that area?

But the civic department regularly conducts raids to evict the illegal hawkers. On receiving complaints, civic teams seize their wares and take them to the warehouses. Most often, the items seized are subsequently released, in return for a consideration. Through such planned raids, the civic department can show it has achieved its targets, while continuing to rake in regular payments, popularly called ‘haftas’ (weekly amounts) or ‘mahinas’ (monthly payments), for one and all, whether ward staff or the cops.

Whether this mutually beneficial system can exist without the active collaboration of politicians, does not require an expert’s analysis. Any probe into why hawkers continue to illegally occupy public places would amount to digging into this well-oiled system and is therefore unlikely to happen.

By going after the hawkers, Dhoble – like a maverick civic officer before him did some years ago – has attacked this system. It is unfortunate that the raid resulted in the unintended death of a hawker.

What is the way out then? Well, there is none. The two Indias will continue to co-exist. The brighter side is that many people can earn an honourable living without turning to  crime.

Whatever the inquiry might conclude, Dhoble will get his punishment for disturbing the system. It will not be a surprise if they also decide to name the street after Madan Jaiswal, the deceased hawker.

Hawkers, they are a problem and they are a solution. This is a story of two Indias, one that wants hawkers evicted so pedestrians can use the footpaths, and the other that wants them for the range of wares that they offer at affordable rates. The influx of cheap Chinese merchandise has only widened this gap.

Assistant commissioner of police Vasant Dhoble appears to have become a victim of this  dichotomy. He was on the street to evict the hawkers, which in fact is the job of the civic body, and in the commotion, one of the hawkers died, apparently due to a heart attack.  An inquiry has been ordered into the incident and the police officer has been shunted to the police control room, pending the completion of the probe.

Something seems to be incorrect here. Shouldn’t there have been an inquiry against the civic authority that allowed the spread of hawkers in that area?

But the civic department regularly conducts raids to evict the illegal hawkers. On receiving complaints, civic teams seize their wares and take them to the warehouses. Most often, the items seized are subsequently released, in return for a consideration. Through such planned raids, the civic department can show it has achieved its targets, while continuing to rake in regular payments, popularly called ‘haftas’ (weekly amounts) or ‘mahinas’ (monthly payments), for one and all, whether ward staff or the cops.

Whether this mutually beneficial system can exist without the active collaboration of politicians, does not require an expert’s analysis. Any probe into why hawkers continue to illegally occupy public places would amount to digging into this well-oiled system and is therefore unlikely to happen.

By going after the hawkers, Dhoble – like a maverick civic officer before him did some years ago – has attacked this system. It is unfortunate that the raid resulted in the unintended death of a hawker.

What is the way out then? Well, there is none. The two Indias will continue to co-exist. The brighter side is that many people can earn an honourable living without turning to  crime.

Whatever the inquiry might conclude, Dhoble will get his punishment for disturbing the system. It will not be a surprise if they also decide to name the street after Madan Jaiswal, the deceased hawker.