Mumbai: BMC’s ‘Pedestrian First’ Drive Faces Criticism Over Action Against QR-Coded Hawkers
Mumbai, August 14, 2026: A drive meant to put pedestrians first is now facing questions over its execution. With the BMC intensifying its anti-encroachment action, corporators across party lines have alleged that the crackdown on hawkers is arbitrary and uneven, with ward-level implementation drawing sharp criticism. Corporators at Friday’s BMC Standing Committee meeting appreciated the…
Mumbai, August 14, 2026 - The city's "Pedestrian First" campaign is drawing scrutiny, as corporators have raised concerns over the enforcement of QR-coded hawker identification cards. At a recent BMC Standing Committee meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Deepmala Bhade questioned the logic behind penalizing hawkers who have been issued these cards.
BJP corporator Sheetal Gambir argued that hawkers should first be asked to scale back their encroachments instead of facing penalties. Makarand Narvekar, a BJP corporator, accused the BMC of inconsistent enforcement, stating that top-level intentions of making Mumbai more pedestrian-friendly aren't matched by officials on the ground.
Congress corporator Tulip Miranda questioned the value of QR-coded IDs, asserting they provided little protection to hawkers. Prajakta Lavangare Verma, Additional Municipal Commissioner, defended the enforcement by stating ward officials were instructed to clear priority footpaths around schools, hospitals, and metro stations. She denied allegations of selective action, claiming the BMC was uniformly targeting unauthorized hawkers.
The BMC has also set up an enforcement dashboard to track progress, with the deadline for ID distribution set for August 31.
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