BMC scheme still in cooker,but Shiv Vada Pav stalls pepper city

The BMC is yet to finalise the nitty-gritties of the Shiv Vada Pav scheme initiated almost two years back,but scores of stalls,backed by the Shiv Sena and bearing the schemes signage,have already mushroomed across the city over the past couple of months.

The BMC is yet to finalise the nitty-gritties of the Shiv Vada Pav scheme initiated almost two years back,but scores of stalls,backed by the Shiv Sena and bearing the scheme’s signage,have already mushroomed across the city over the past couple of months. Civic officials admit these 150-odd stalls do not have licences from the administration.

“Most of these stalls are in Shiv Sena strongholds. For example,the area from Dadar T T Bridge to Parel has at least five stalls,” said a civic official,adding they are mostly stationed in prime locations,especially outside railway stations.

The Shiv Vada Pav scheme was Shiv Sena’s ambitious project to globalise the city’s trademark dish,while providing employment to several Marathi youths. The Sena had planned to set up 125 such stalls across Mumbai,for which space would be provided by the civic body. The proposal was passed in the BMC’s standing committee meeting in May 2009,but logistical problems slowed it down thereafter.

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While it had been proposed to allot eligible candidates stalls inside the BMC canteen,ward offices,hospitals,dispensaries,colleges,markets and gardens,the administration of the BMC later found that these could become FSI violations according to the Development Control Rules. The municipal markets were then found to be the only viable location for these stalls.

Senior Shiv Sena leaders in the Sena-ruled BMC,however,were quick to defend the stalls. Rahul Shewale,corporator and Standing Committee chairman,said: “These stalls have been given by Shiv Sena and once we start the allotment process,preference will be given to these stall owners.” He said they have been receiving up to 4,000 applications from each ward to set up Shiv Vada Pav stalls. “We cannot get the space we had expected for the stalls and will have to initially manage with space in civic markets. The final approval for the same will be received soon,” said Shewale.

Senior Sena leader Prabhakar Shinde said these stalls can’t be termed unauthorised. “The proposal for Shiv Vada Pav had been passed earlier. These stalls can’t be illegal as they operate under a co-operative society called Shiv Sahkar Seva Sanstha,” he claimed.

Superintendent of Licences D S Kharat,however,said the stalls are unauthorised,“like hundreds of other stalls in the city”. “Once spots for the stalls are finalised,they will be given the necessary permissions and licenses.”Additional Municipal Commissioner M Adtani promised to look into whether these stalls were violating court orders against unlicensed food kiosks. “I will have to check the details. But if the scheme has not yet been launched and then these would be unauthorised,” he admitted.

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BMC scheme still in cooker,but Shiv Vada Pav stalls pepper city

The BMC is yet to finalise the nitty-gritties of the Shiv Vada Pav scheme initiated almost two years back,but scores of stalls,backed by the Shiv Sena and bearing the schemes signage,have already mushroomed across the city over the past couple of months.

The BMC is yet to finalise the nitty-gritties of the Shiv Vada Pav scheme initiated almost two years back,but scores of stalls,backed by the Shiv Sena and bearing the schemes signage,have already mushroomed across the city over the past couple of months.