Dispute between Colaba Residents and BMC, after secret destruction of Flower beds

A dispute took place between the Colaba residents and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation after flower beds at the Colaba causeway were secretly destroyed on Monday night. The locals complaint that vendors were making an effort to intrude onto space. The next day when shopkeepers attempted to remake the flower beds, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday morning destroyed them. 

 

After the incident took place the residents went to the local ward office, asking the reason for doing so, the officials replied that there is no authorization for building flower beds on the footpath. “The unoccupied space will be taken by hawkers. By destroying the flower beds, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials have shown who they support, we went to the police station too,” stated Haresh Hathiramani of Colaba Residents and Shopkeepers Association. 

 

“Today’s day will be seen as Black Day as the flower beds were there for more than two decades and now the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation states that it is not permitted, we do have the video footage of the officials destroying the flower beds secretly, now the Colaba residents will have to tolerate these hawkers, with no space left for the public. We also have said this to the ward officer.” Said Corporator Makrand Narwekar. 

 

In response to the allegation made the Assistant Municipal Commissioner of the ward Chanda Jadhav stated that “based on our findings there were no illegal hawkers. We will not permit any unauthorized hawker and also there will be no flower beds. The footpath space should be kept open for the public to move.”