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Though good news for those who swear by street food, BMC claims that loopholes in law allow illegal vendors to go scot-free, mulls stricter action.

The BMC seems to have failed in its mission to oust all illegal hawkers from city streets. Just a week ago, the civic body had insisted that it would carry out a sustained drive to keep the hawkers off the streets, after the shocking exposure of the paani puri wala from Thane, who urinated into the very utensil he used to serve up his not-so-delectable delicacies to patrons.

Last Monday, municipal authorities even took to the streets on this explicit mission, and made bold claims of following up the drive and sustaining it over time. Their efforts even seemed to have yielded results, as for a short while the streets were found to be completely free of hawkers. But the hiatus was short-lived. Now, however, the hawkers seem to have returned in full force, with the BMC conceding that they can do little to keep them off the streets.

BMC’s Standing Committee Chairman Rahul Shewale said, "Yes, the hawkers are back, and it is the law that is to be blamed for it. If the BMC confiscates a particular stall, it can be released the moment the vendor pays a fine."  He added, "This is the biggest loophole in the system. The vendors simply pay a fine, collect the confiscated paraphernalia of their business, and resurrect their stalls the next day."

Incidentally, the paani puri vendors had initially almost disappeared from the streets following the campaign -- it was difficult to spot even one last Saturday, two days after MNS activists launched their attack on paani puri stalls. Gupta, a paani puri vendor, had prophesied, "We had to pay the price for one irresponsible vendor’s mistake, but this won’t last for long. We will be back soon."

The BMC is now planning to revise the law and make it more stringent, to make it difficult for hawkers to slither past these gaping lacunae so effortlessly. "They managed to go scot-free so very easily. We will ask the state to revise the law suitably, so that things do not remain the same. Even the police should take strong action against illegal hawkers," said Shewale.