Hawkers within 150 m of rly stations will be removed: Goyal

Mumbai: The Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Railways have begun removing hawkers outside Borivali station and similar action will be taken against hawkers within a 150-metre radius of Malad, Kandivali and Dahisar stations, union commerce minister Piyush Goyal said during his review meeting with BMC officials on Saturday.

“The area within 150 meters of Borivali, Malad, Kandivali and Dahisar stations will be a no hawking zone. I spoke to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who has promised tp redevelop these four stations under the Amrit Bharat scheme, for which planning work is in the final stage,” said Goyal.

On the non-functional mini train at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Goyal said he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and work on the project was resumed a year ago. “The train will be inaugurated and made operational in two months,” he said.

During his meeting with BMC officials, the minister raised concerns about lack of coordination between the civic body and the railways regarding bridge works, taking action against dumping on mangrove land in Malwani and Gorai, and the extension of the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road.

He also urged officials to address the issues of around 350 people affected by the Borivali-Thane tunnel project of MMRDA. “The issue of PAPs (project affected persons) was pending, for which we have instructed the administration to give them homes under SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority),” said Goyal.

The minister also asked the BMC and police to keep encroachments under check in Malwani and Gorai, saying land mafias were continuously dumping debris on mangrove land using trucks. He asked for deployment of additional police force and proposed two new police stations at Ambujwadi and Aksa.

“We are working on a proposal to rejuvenate 11 lakes within two years,” said Goyal. These lakes, which have been encroached upon, are located in the northern part of Mumbai.

The minister also issued a directive for urgent inspection of all crematoriums in north Mumbai. Once reports are received, repairs and renovations will be carried out, and electric furnaces will be installed to reduce pollution, he said.