The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has angered the vendors at Matunga’s famous flower market, claiming that their stalls were demolished without warning even though they had valid licenses. However, the civic authority used encroachment and unauthorised extensions as justifications for its actions.
Shankar Lingam, a senior vendor whose stall has been in operation for six decades, expressed his dismay. “I have been running this stall for 47 years. We obtained BMC permission to cover our stalls 30 years ago. Yet, on Thursday, the BMC used a JCB to tear them down without giving us time to present our documents,” he lamented.
Another vendor, Dwarka Bhalerao, shared a similar experience. “Our licence is 50 years old. My father-in-law started this stall, and I have been managing it for 35 years. This is the first time we have faced such action.” Bhalerao also claimed that vendors weren’t allowed to retrieve their stock before the demolition began.
Ganeshan, another affected vendor, highlighted the financial loss suffered by stall owners. “Each of us had flowers worth Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000, most of which got damaged. Along with MLA Captain R Tamil Selvan, we staged a protest march to the ward office, demanding accountability from the officials responsible.”
Sundarajan Pandaraman echoed these concerns, insisting that no verification of licences was conducted before the drive. “Our stall has been here for generations. The officials didn’t even check our papers before demolishing everything,” he said.
The BMC, meanwhile, insisted that their action was directed at unlawful additions and encroachments. 52 stalls were taken down on Thursday and 30 on Friday, according to officials, with 14 of them illegally intruding on public areas and the remaining stalls allegedly having unlawful extensions.
The civic body’s strategy was challenged by MLA Selvan, who said that the flower merchants had legitimate licenses and ought to have been given more time to submit their paperwork prior to the demolition.
Source: Mid-Day
