Not a single hawker relocated over five years

Although the detailed project report (DPR) for the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) project for rehabilitating hawkers across the city was sanctioned in 2007, the civic body failed to complete the project that was part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The civic body was to build 9,600 stalls, but constructed only 1,144 stalls. Moreover, not a single hawker has been shifted to these stalls. The Rs27 crore-project was aimed at making the city roads free of traffic congestion.

This came to light in the reply to a question on illegal hawkers in Tulshibaug at Mahatma Phule Mandai given by municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak at the PMC general body meeting on Thursday. Pathak said, “Under the JNNURM, the PMC has to construct 9,600 stalls but so far it constructed only 1,144.”

He added, “It is not possible to construct 9,600 stalls at just Rs27 crore. Of this amount, the PMC has received the first installment of Rs5.19 crore, but managed to construct only 1,144 stalls. The estimated expenditure per stall is just Rs24,500 and it is not possible to build stalls at such low cost.”

When corporators asked the civic administration why it failed to implement the project in time and rehabilitate hawkers, Pathak said, “It is difficult to acquire land and negotiations with land owners is going on.”

But Pathak said that if the draft of revised development plan 1987 is passed soon then all the hawkers will be rehabilitated.