Hawkers bash up citizen activist

Snehal Sonawane / TNN / Jun 16, 2007, 03:55 IST

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Citizen activist R Subramanyam is having second thoughts about putting his life at risk by taking up issues like encroachment and the hawker menace.

PUNE: After being assaulted by irate hawkers on Friday, citizen activist R Subramanyam — an active member of the NIBM road mohalla committee — is having second thoughts about putting his life at risk by taking up issues like encroachment and the hawker menace.
He has been working towards solving the encroachment, traffic and garbage clearance problems in the locality by repeatedly approaching civic and police officials.The lack of support from both has him worried.
On June 8, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) authorities undertook an anti-encroachment drive on NIBM road at around 5.30 pm and all the illegal hawkers and vendors were removed from the road. At around 6 pm, a mob of hawkers barged into his office in Sarvodaya society on NIBM road, snatched his cellphone and money, ransacked his office and beat him up. A complaint has been registered at the Kondhwa police chowky.
The other members of the mohalla committee alleged that a police inspector standing 100 m away from the society refused to come to the rescue claiming that "Subramanyam ka hamesha ka natak hain is mamle me (Subramanyam is always getting himself into trouble over these issues)".

"It is not only that, how did the hawkers come to know that the I had been raising the encroachment issue with the PMC. It is the PMC staff who have leaked my name to the hawkers. Citizens too show indifference at such times," Subramanyam told TOI.
When contacted, municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi said that he would see to it that ward officials do not divulge the names of mohalla committee members. "I will ensure that action is taken against the guilty." Three suspects were arrested and were later released on bail.

Taking a strong note of the incident, chairman of National Society for Clean Cities or NSCC, an umbrella body of all mohalla committees in Pune, Satish Khot said that the NSCC will meet police commissioner Jayant Umranikar on Monday to demand support from the police when such incidents occur.
Former chairman of NSCC Gita Vir, who was similarly threatened by vendors a few years ago, said, "In spite of such incidents we continue to work, but that does not mean it is not the duty of police to protect us," Vir said. She also alleged that sometimes elected members too instigated hawkers to oppose activists because they have vested interests in allowing the hawkers to thrive.

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