Hyderabad: Cops turn a blind eye as hawkers encroach road

Hyderabad: Even though the stretch of the road from Andhra Bank to Kacheguda crossroads, through Badi Bazaar, is a non-vending zone or red zone, hawkers happily do business here.

Residents say the encroachment makes it difficult for them to commute. They had asked the traffic police to clear the illegal encroachment and free the road, but no action has been taken.

Mr Y. Dayakar from Inderbagh said traders and residents were among those who have complained to the traffic police. He said hawkers and push-cart vendors block the road to the extent that commuters are unable to use it.

He added that though there were no restrictions on two- wheelers and four wheelers, they were scared to enter the road fearing the traffic jam caused by the hawkers. The width of the road was increased from 28 feet to 68 feet after the Metro Rail pillars were erected.

Mr Ramakrishna, another resident of Inderbagh, said, “The hawkers are occupying the road and making it difficult for commuters. When the traffic police arrives, somehow they get the information about it and clear the roads. After the policemen leave, they are back to blocking the roads. We have been complaining about this to the authorities concerned, but in vain.”

Mr Sashi Bushan, general secretary of the Sultan Bazaar Association, said, “Earlier, there used to be only 60 hawkers but recently the number has increased to approximately 600. We have been time and again complaining to the officials about the menace of hawkers but in vain. After the construction of the Metro pillars began, the number of hawkers has increased.”

Mr K.G. Kandlikar, general secretary of the Bhagyanagar Hawkers’ Association, believes that the issue is being hyped and denies that it is a no-hawking zone.   “It is not a red zone, it is a free zone. Hawkers are not encroaching on the road. As the Metro construction is ongoing, residents in the area are feeling uncomfortable. Once the construction is done, everything will come back to normal,” he said.

Inspector N. Neraja of Sultan Bazaar traffic police station said, “We have been conducting drives and booking cases on the hawkers and push-cart vendors who were encroaching the roads. Last month alone, 145 cases have been booked under Section 39(B) for illegally occupying the roads.”