BMC plans 91 uniform stalls for verified hawkers on Colaba Causeway at Rs 2.28 crore

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is preparing a project to reduce pavement crowding on Colaba Causeway in Mumbai. Under it, 91 standard hawker stalls will be built at a cost of Rs 2.28 crore. The aim is to improve pedestrian movement and make the shopping destination more attractive to shoppers and tourists.

The entire cost will be borne by the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC). Colaba will then become the first area in Mumbai to have uniform vending stalls only for verified street vendors, meaning the stalls will look the same across the area.

The proposal was made by the local MLA and Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Makarand Narwekar. The plan includes not just the stalls but also uniform shop signboards and improvements to road infrastructure.

The rule under the proposed system is clear. Only vendors who hold an official BMC identity card with a QR code will be allowed to operate from the new stalls. Use of the stalls will be limited to vendors verified by the civic body, and no one else will be allowed to work from them.

The work of building the stalls has been given to the infrastructure firm Pushpam Infraprojects. Each unit will measure about one metre by one metre. A prototype stall has already been installed on Colaba Causeway. The first batch of new units is expected to be delivered in the coming weeks.

The Colaba area draws a large number of shoppers. A regulated vending system under the BMC's supervision could help organise the commercial streets, while vendors can carry on their business without blocking pedestrian paths. It could also improve the look of Colaba and strengthen its appeal as a tourist destination.