Segregate waste properly or loose license: PMC to street vendors

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has instructed the road side vendors to segregate garbage generated during business hours, failing to do so can lead to their license being cancelled. For over 21,000 licensed hawkers in the city the civic body has made segregation of waste and to keep separate garbage bin for both wet and dry waste as mandatory.

According to officials if any vendor found violating the rule, first they will be fined, second time violation will lead to cancelation of their license.

Madhav Jagtap, head of anti-encroachment department, PMC said, “The initiative aims at maintaining roadside cleanliness and hygiene. Hawkers across the city will have to use two separate bins. Besides the vendors dealing with food, those in other trades have to abide by the garbage rules. He also said that head office and ward units of corporation will take action against offenders and staff of PMC health and anti-encroachment department would coordinate the drive.

An official of PMC said, “The civic body will first create awareness about the drive. The PMC will then slap a fine of Rs 180 on a vendor for not abiding by the garbage segregation rules. If any hawker refuses to follow the orders, stricter actions will follow. Confiscation or cancellation of the licenses will be done in the extreme cases”.

To help in waste segregation, the corporation has made necessary arrangements to lift garbage and vendors can avail the facility in morning and evening hours. The civic body has also established 288 hawking zones for vendors and 190 zones have been finalized for garbage disposal in the corporation limits.