Zeroes power BMC nexus with illegal hawkers

Everyone knows what happens when the BMC evicts illegal hawkers from an area. Once the team leaves, the hawkers return. But did you know that behind this seemingly mechanical routine lurks an illegal mechanism involving civic officials?

Three men known as ‘zero’ in their respective areas have been helping hawkers get their goods back from the civic staff and protecting them from future raids. Acting as conduits between the hawkers and officials, they have been helping the latter pocket a good amount of money from the dealings.

The three ‘zeroes’ are also known as TMT Pappu, Jamaalbhai and Vijay. Pappu handles the eastern suburbs (from Sion to Mulund), Jamaal handles the area from Matunga to Churchgate, and the western suburbs are controlled by Vijay.

The BMC’s encroachment removal department and special flying squads are responsible for taking action against illegal hawkers in the city. When a raid is about to be carried out in a particular area, civic officials alert the ‘zero’ of that area who then informs all those who are on his roll and pay him a monthly hafta. Illegal hawkers simply move away from the spot and hide their goods.

The BMC vehicle makes the rounds of the area and leaves.

However, civic officials do have to stage a few raids for the record. The goods seized in such raids are dumped in any of the civic garages designated for this purpose. The area’s zero knows where the goods are kept. When a hawker approaches civic officials requesting them to release his goods, the officials advise him to contact the area’s zero. Depending on the nature and quantity of goods involved, the zero returns them to the hawker for a price. Once the payment is done, the zero asks the officials to release the goods and pays them their share.

“Though there are several agents who work at the ward level, the main people in the entire city are the three zeroes. They are very powerful and help hawkers get their goods back within hours,” says Salim Shaikh, a hawker who sells clothes. “With a zero involved, the entire process is done without much conversation. None of the officials asks any questions. Everything is well coordinated.”

Additional municipal commissioner Mohan Adtani has ordered an inquiry into the matter. “The vigilance department of the BMC has already started the inquiry and the report is expected to be submitted in a week,” an official said.

Pravin Chheda, Congress corporator who brought the issue to the BMC’s notice, said no records are maintained on the raids conducted, goods collected, and those returned to hawkers or auctioned.

Deputy municipal commissioner Vijay Balamwar, who heads the encroachment removal department, said, “We conduct raids at the ward level and maintain records. Only because of a few officials the entire department is being blamed. The vigilance inquiry is on and it is improper to comment at this stage.”