Hawkers goods recovered from bandra public toilet

In a raid, carried out by civic officials in a public toilet on Bandra's Linking Road, on Tuesday morning, bags full of garments, shoes and other materials belonging to the illegal hawkers of the area were recovered. The tip-off was given by Bandra activist Aftab Siddique, who also visited the municipal commissioner's office on Friday to complain about the issue.

“We are happy that the civic authorities have finally taken action on these hawkers. The area is a little secluded, so nobody comes to know what is happening here. The BMC has been quick enough to carry out the raid,” Siddique said.

She added that, several illegal hawkers across the city stack up their goods inside the toilet at night, especially during raids. “Despite repeated complaints to the local ward authorities, no action had been taken so far,” Siddique said.

Linking Road is a commercial area full of hawkers. Many of them illegally encroach roads and footpaths, leaving no space for pedestrians to walk. Residents also fear that if they raise their voice, the hawkers could turn violent.

A civic official said, “We have recovered bags of stolen goods from the toilet. It always helps if citizens are active and keep us informed of such things.”

The BMC had recently distributed 1.25 lakh forms to hawkers as part of its hawkers registration drive. Those who have filled the forms will have to submit before August 12 their proof of residence, proof of identity and also documents to prove they have been hawking at the spot for a certain number of years.