In a recent development, a fresh petition has been lodged in the High Court concerning the Burdi Hawkers zone in Nagpur, questioning the recent cancellation of some hawker zones. Responding to the High Court’s instructions, the Municipal Corporation (Town Vending Committee) presented an affidavit on Tuesday.
As stated in the affidavit, in line with the High Court’s instructions, there was a reassessment of 53 hawker zones. After this reassessment, six zones were scrapped, leaving 47 remaining. However, further scrutiny later prompted the cancellation of the Burdi Hawkers zone due to objections from the police.
Following the filing of the affidavit by the municipal corporation, time was given to the petitioner to present their case, resulting in a postponement of the hearing. The historic market, which has been operating for over 35 years, is at the center of the controversy. The petitioner argued that although the Town Vending Committee meeting was convened, the decision to cancel the hawker zones was made unilaterally during the same meeting, disregarding objections raised by hawker representatives and committee members. It was highlighted by the petitioner that businesses have been operating on Sitaburdi Main Road for the past 35 years, and they have registered with the municipal corporation for vending purposes.