Sir,

Apropos the news item “City Police evict roadside shops” (SOM dated Aug. 12), roadside shops on Sayyaji Rao Road being cleared by the MCC and the Police is a ‘tamasha.’ Why do the authorities wait until they receive complaints to act? Why are they not proactive?

These shops will reappear in just a couple of days again because it’s not the first time they’re clearing these shops. Vendors selling bananas near ‘Chikkagadiyara’ have almost blocked and seized one stretch of road and yet the Traffic Police is doing nothing over there. Vendors complain that they pay ‘mamool’ to the cops everyday and a fixed rate of ‘mamool’ every month for their existence.

Stretches of footpaths have been taken over by hawkers all over the city. Where are the planned Hawkers’ Zones?

– Mubasher Mirza, Bannimantap ‘C’ Layout, 16.8.2017