Nashik is a blend of both, the big players and also the small ones. The city caters to the needs of the filthy rich and the unfortunate. On one hand we have fancy restaurants, big malls, and international outlets while on the other hand the city encourages street food, local apparel stores and roadside affairs.
The officials while promoting the bigger business in Nashik, are also working on disciplined policies for the small set-ups. The Nashik District Hawkers and Kiosk-holders Association (NDHKA) urged the NMC officials to implement National Hawkers’ in its jurisdiction. The NMC realized the need to implement stringent policies when there was a demonstration staged in front of Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan to question the hawkers’ demands.
Though the business which is carried on the streets is illegal but there are no proper policies framed to avoid the illicit trade. The NDHKA President Mr. Shantaram Chavan in a meet with municipal commissioner Sanjay Khandare presented him with a memorandum of demands for Hawkers and Kiosk-holders.
The memorandum states, ‘In 2004, the NMC had introduced a scheme of giving licences to hawkers. Accordingly, the association had submitted around 4,500 applications to the NMC. These applications should be considered while implementing the new policy. The NMC had also assured the association that it will not take any action against hawkers under encroachment drives until the implementation of the National Hawkers’ Policy. The civic administration must abide by its assurances. The existing hawkers and kiosk-holders should be included in the policy while deciding hawkers’ and no-hawkers’ zones in the city’.
The memorandum further states, ‘The businesses that get affected while implementing the policy and fixing the zones should be rehabilitated by the civic administration. Eateries and food stall-holders near the Nehru Garden in the city should be recognized as Food Plaza, as per the provisions in the national policy’.
The NMC has started the process of demolishing the illegal set-ups in the city. This will continue as per the orders of the higher authorities around Nashik.
