Neta wakes up to hawker menace, party snubs her
When actor-turned-politician Kunickaa Sadanand Lall decided to do something about the menace of illegal hawkers in her neighbourhood of Millat Nagar in Oshiwara, she expected her Congress party colleagues to support her. However, she was shocked when none of the party office bearers or elected representatives came forward to help her take action against the hawkers.
"Illegal hawking began in our area sometime in March when a few vegetable vendors began sitting along the roadside. And despite the area (the interior road of Oshiwara and Lokhandwala area called Millat Nagar Bus Stop) being a "No Hawking" zone, illegal hawkers kept pouring in. That is when I was prompted to take action against them through my NGO Andheri-Versova Welfare Residents Association (AVRA)," the actor told DNA. After the anti-encroachment squad of the BMC were beaten and chased away in the absence of police presence, Kunickaa wrote a series of letters to the local MLA Baldev Khosa, civic officials as well as the local police of Oshiwara police station.
However, after a temporary eviction by the BMC, the hawkers returned and were actually helped by the MLA himself. "When I asked Khosa why he helped the hawkers return, he said they wanted him to "help" them earn a living. Moreover, after I raised the issue in a Janata Darbar of local MP Gurudas Kamat, I received few threatening calls. I was told to keep quiet about the hawkers issue if I wanted to be in the race to contest the forthcoming BMC elections," alleged Kunickaa. Assistant municipal commissioner Ramesh Pawar did not respond to repeated calls.
When actor-turned-politician Kunickaa Sadanand Lall decided to do something about the menace of illegal hawkers in her neighbourhood of Millat Nagar in Oshiwara, she expected her Congress party colleagues to support her. However, she was shocked when none of the party office bearers or elected representatives came forward to help her take action against the hawkers.
"Illegal hawking began in our area sometime in March when a few vegetable vendors began sitting along the roadside. And despite the area (the interior road of Oshiwara and Lokhandwala area called Millat Nagar Bus Stop) being a "No Hawking" zone, illegal hawkers kept pouring in. That is when I was prompted to take action against them through my NGO Andheri-Versova Welfare Residents Association (AVRA)," the actor told DNA. After the anti-encroachment squad of the BMC were beaten and chased away in the absence of police presence, Kunickaa wrote a series of letters to the local MLA Baldev Khosa, civic officials as well as the local police of Oshiwara police station.
However, after a temporary eviction by the BMC, the hawkers returned and were actually helped by the MLA himself. "When I asked Khosa why he helped the hawkers return, he said they wanted him to "help" them earn a living. Moreover, after I raised the issue in a Janata Darbar of local MP Gurudas Kamat, I received few threatening calls. I was told to keep quiet about the hawkers issue if I wanted to be in the race to contest the forthcoming BMC elections," alleged Kunickaa. Assistant municipal commissioner Ramesh Pawar did not respond to repeated calls.
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