Mumbai: After years of delays, legal hawking in Mumbai could finally become a reality for nearly one lakh street vendors. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has assured a Shiv Sena delegation on Monday that QR code-enabled identity cards will begin reaching eligible hawkers from June 10, paving the way for them to operate legally across the city, except in designated no-hawking zones.Mumbai:::::05 October 2011:::::News::::: Footpath enroached by hawkers outside Dadar Station West - HT Photo by Kalpak Pathak (Hindustan Times)The assurance came during a meeting on Monday between municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and a delegation led by deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam.Addressing presspersons, Ghadi said the civic body has informed the delegation that distribution of the identity cards will begin through ward offices from June 10 onwards and is likely to be completed within days.The QR-code equipped identity cards will be issued to 99,435 hawkers identified as eligible in the 2014 survey conducted under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. Once they receive the cards, the vendors will be recognised as authorised hawkers. Ghadi further clarified that this will be an interim arrangement until the formation of Town Vending Committees (TVCs) that will then determine the hawking zones.“Around 3500 hawkers, who used to hawk from the 20 no-hawking zones across the city as determined by the courts, will have to be adjusted to hawk in their neighbouring lanes,” said Nirupam.The no-hawking stretches include areas around major railway stations such as Churchgate, CSMT, Dadar and Bandra, as well as other high-footfall areas.Implementation of the Street Vendors Act has been delayed for years in Mumbai despite repeated directions from courts. In March this year, the Bombay High Court directed the BMC to expedite the formation of Town Vending Committees and complete the election process.While elections for hawker representatives were held in 2024, the results were declared only earlier this year after court intervention. The city is still awaiting the formation of seven zonal TVCs and one central committee, which will eventually determine where vendors can legally operate.The hawkers’ issue has also triggered differences between the ruling allies in Maharashtra. While the Shiv Sena has advocated protection for eligible vendors, the BJP has backed anti-encroachment drives and repeatedly raised concerns over illegal hawking.Nirupam dismissed allegations that large numbers of Bangladeshi nationals were operating as hawkers in Mumbai.“By all means act against illegal Bangladeshi citizens; let the police detain them or even deport them. But this eviction drive against hawkers is hurting native Indians from all across India. In fact, 40% of hawkers in Mumbai are locals from Maharashtra. Let them tell us how many Bangladeshis have been found hawking in Mumbai by the police or the BMC,” asked Nirupam.