Where did the MCG go wrong in Sec 56, Gurgaon?
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Where did the MCG go wrong in Sec 56, Gurgaon?

In sectors 4, 15 and 17, the MCG idea of designated hawker areas has been a success. But it's fallen flat in this particular sector. Find out why.

Where did the MCG go wrong in Sec 56, Gurgaon?

Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon's idea to help hawkers by providing them a designated spot seems to be falling flat in Sector 56.

MCG came up with the idea of selling carts to hawkers and designating zones for them to discourage encroachments on main roads across the city.

In sectors 4, 15 and 17, MCG's hawker carts are a success. But in Sector 56 the idea has failed to take off, as shopkeepers and residents do not support MCG in its move. They are against the hawker zone, fearing parking and sanitation issues.

The shopkeepers allege that the market is yet to be fully developed and therefore needs basic facilities such as a public toilet, a proper garbage collection arrangement, developed roads and benches for seating and greenery.

MCG had identified about 23 hawker zones across the city. It had carried out a survey to identify street vendors across 35 wards and started restoring them as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"According to the Supreme Court judgment, there should be no hawking within 150 m of any municipal market. Here the distance is not even 50 m,” said Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Raghbir Singh, president of the market association.

With opposition from the market association, shopkeepers and residents, the MCG-provided carts to hawkers can be seen standing in a corner, deserted.

The shopkeepers say they feel cheated, as they had bought their shops at high prices, and if hawkers take up the carts, their business will be affected. They say they will not allow the hawker zone inside the market complex.

Rajesh Kumar, owner of Sindhi Namkeens in Sector 56, said, “By evening, the parking space and the open area in the market are encroached upon by hawkers. There is hardly any space left. Adding the MCG carts will only add to the chaos in the shopping complex.” 

A former area councillor, Mahesh Dayma, said, “We had approached the MCG commissioner to make sure shopkeepers, too, are kept in mind so their business is not affected.”