yuva _ unorganised sector

22th Jan 2014_2pm – 6pm_F/S Ward Office [Parel, Mumbai]

The unorganised sector in the city is constituted by hawkers, construction workers, waste collectors, auto and taxi drivers. The introductory presentation is a review of the areas in the preparatory studies that have dealt with the informal sector. Few observations are as follows - Rise in the informal economy could be attributed to increasing informalization and therefore rise in informal employment. Contribution of the tertiary sector has been on the rise. A result of this restructuring has bifurcated employment type and subsequent land use required. 25% of households have a monthly income of less than 12,500 with median at 20,000 and only 9% of the households have income of excess of 60,000 per month. Slum dwellers who are the majority seek employment to close to where they live and employment in the informal sector is growing faster than the formal sector within city limits. Female worker participation is too on the rise but still considerably lower. Larger gap in male/ female participation is therefore of concern. As per data shares of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in Greater Mumbai’s GDDP would be approximately 0.5%, 21% and 80.5% respectively. Informality also is related to the spatial clustering seen as per services. To note thus, is with increase primary and secondary sectors the tertiary too increase in conjunction to the locality of the sector. Other factors affecting the sector are transport and road concerns, needs of home based workers in comprehensive area development and higher FSI, TDR in resettlements don’t take into account of industries in slums. Some detected inconsistences of the study is that the informal sector has been done as on GDP, they aren’t considered as invisible environmentalists for the city therefore not considered an asset, cases such as mill lands haven’t necessarily be considered to be prevented in the future, spatial clustering of informality is absent and basic service provision to the informal sector seem unaddressed.

Housing built specific to the requirements of industries run by women needs adherence. Spaces such as aganwadi needs programing within designated developments. Status of MCGM structures need timely audit. Private constructions on public lands is to be prohibited. Crèche’s and primary health care facilities are considered necessary in these developments. Provisions for feasible health insurance has to be provided to those involved in the informal sector. Adding notes to consider in transportation special corridor for bus is requested, alongside with provisions for periodic audit of auto and taxi’s. Sea routes has to be developed to try and reduce loads on the other modes of transportation. Revisions in public transport norms as and when made should consider all sectors of society. Labour laws should be applicable in all MCGM works. Needs of informal sector should be addressed at the ward level with reservation for suitable public amenities. Case study from Sholapur could be accessed for analysis. Electricity and other basic services is to be provided for all. Playgrounds have is to be mandatory in all schools. Academic institutions running without access to play facilities needs urgent address. Housing types should cater to the activities permissible in earmarked housing zones. Silence zones those implemented around the city needs an update. Shed for naka workers is requested. Systems is to be brought in place to check that no flats remain continuously closed for a year. Audit of work done by MCGM workers is required so as to check productivity of the institution and cut back on errant employees. Electricity process needs to be simplified for the city as a whole.

An assessment of informality needs to be conducted to plan for the sector. Activities that are spaced onto industrial areas are required timely monitoring. Land to accommodate informality has to be designated and secured. Status of transit camps in the city requires upgrading. The varying avenues for informality needs study to allocate appropriate stakes within areas of operation. Housing needs via rental housing or any other identified mechanism is provisioned for those involved. A visual identity too can be worked towards presenting integrity of the varying informal groups.

Being the majority at the moment for this workshop hawking has brought in substantial representation and therefore a concentrated view from the perspective of hawkers is submitted. Land use can be approximately classified into direct and indirect categories as per the stakes identified. ELU doesn’t contain hawkers as it hasn’t made provision or for that matter identified indirect claimants on land. There are about 3 lakh hawkers operating in city limits. A method to recognise and notify all involved in the trade should be officially initiated. Hawking as livelihood have to be part of formal system and instruments such as street vendors bill of 2012 should facilitate the process by bringing in due amendments. A committee also formally instituted has to solve issues specific to concerns of street vendors. Situations such as fish markets which are a result of community activity doesn’t fall under the sector of hawking therefore distinction between found anomalies and hawking at large has to find segregation. The role of design and its viability is sorting the aforementioned concerns is to be looked into. A ratio of 1 hawker per 1000 people is anticipated therefore future land use maps have to consider accommodating this activity. Redevelopment schemes have to consider in their stakeholder list any dependant informal sector in the project. Case studies of similar implemented projects can be consulted to better inform the formulation of redevelopment sites. Strategies such as plaza markets are forms which can be taken into consideration. Natural markets next to transportation zones is in urgent need of recognition to adequately be accommodative to the informal sector that enables its creation. Participation at the time of planning is mandated from the sector and any laws passed should be implemented only after due consultation with those impacted.

What criteria does one consider in planning for conditions such as hawking? Three main considerations are locate spots where natural markets are feasible, allocate area planning guidelines accordingly, check what laws are presently in force and creating a hindrance to the activity and finally safeguarding the stakes of individuals involved in the sector. A pilot study of hawking revolving around the question where do we hawk? Is being conducted by Rachna Sansad in support from the MCGM. Locations dependant on hawking are chosen for review and suggestions in detailed area planning of select sites. Some of the parameters studied are the number/ spread of hawkers operating in areas of review, type of their pitches, commodity of sale and time of activity. Revised regulation and designs are then suggested under recommendations. Policies for hawking are proposed to be envisioned at the development plan, ward plan and as development control regulations. Cues from the national hawking policy is to be taken to draw out the local iteration. Disciplined hawking movements will be essentially enforced along with a uniform identity. Authorising fixed facilities as required by hawking is suggested and details of which are overseen by both ward and town vending committees. Mapping of all vending locations and ancillary facilities help enforce stake. Till the implementation of recommendations there is to be control against eviction of hawkers from their sites of activity and cases against hawkers under investigation should be speedily resolved. Recognition of hawking unions too is to be facilitated at the earliest. Status of hawking licences is in urgent need of review. Hawking as a community has to be brought together to resolve and sort cases against them, which will need support. Sites in Andheri and Parel have seen frequent evictions even in regulated hawking zones. Furtherance of regulation can be made via a hawkers list that is to be given to local MCGM officials to prevent any undue eviction of those legitimately conducting sale.

Waste management workers are the other informal sector to be brought under regulation. Health concerns associated with engaging with water matter needs addressing. Errors in infrastructure that deals with transportation of waste needs rectification. Dry waste sheds is to be reserved in all wards. Selling of waste and industries that is dependent on recycling has factors which is to be duly looked into. Most workers in the sector needs to be give adequate training in identifying and dealing with waste. Education of the children of staffers in the sector and housing of SWM workers are included in the needs of the sector.

After hawking the next large semi-formal organisation are the auto and taxi drivers in the city. Status of vehicular permits is the first point of contention. Lack of designated parking lots in land use plans have caused undue grievances. A system needs to be enforced to locate vehicles currently active in the network. Planning around CNG filling stations needs an update to make up for the increasing traffic buildup. All existing vehicular stands are to be mapped and new one recommended on the basis of a refreshed survey. Several auto and taxi stands have been removed in the past to make up for parking of private cars. This needs to be checked and where permissible the situation reversed. Toilets and canteens have to be incorporated via regulations into all auto and taxi stands. Where possible these can be located close to filling stations or transportation hubs. The recommendations of the Hakim Committee report haven’t been implemented as till date. On permits, dead permits those on records have to be reissued where applicable and reasons for rejecting application of permits requires substantiation. Methods to locate unofficial vehicles and reprimanding those found is to be carried out on a periodic basis. RTO, police and traffic police have to corporate in the smooth operation of this sector instead unwarranted harassment which at times are rendered.

Formulating standards for informality is the role of those involved in planning. When there is a foreseen stagnation of the formal sector and rise in creation of jobs in the tertiary sector existing societal frameworks has to be modified to accommodate them. Informal credit, structures in employment, informal enterprise and informal settlements all have to find place among the formal. UDPFI guidelines is to be considered the basic minimum standard in forming any plans. As with street vendors sizes/ area occupied vs area allocated is to have regulation. Types and location of vending changes requirements and these are sensitively reflected in any standards proposed. Types of streets in the larger urban plan is one of the ways in which informality can be accommodated. Livelihood centres and micro business hub could add in assisting smooth operation of informal businesses for the city. Public transports such as taxis and autos though partially within a formal system via creep seems to have varying informal mechanisms which keeps the formal functioning. Reiterating that which was stated earlier taxi and auto stands is to be earmarked clearly on maps. STATIS is to be implemented. Subway and skywalk hawking create a sense of security therefore accommodation at the time of design can be considered. Hand cart vendors has to be brought under regulation within areas identified for informality. Skill based training for hawkers have to be incorporated while formalising the system. Project affected hawkers must receive compensation as per area and economic contribution. Norms to relocate is mandated in urban renewal projects directed towards informal economy. Home based workers have to be relocated in clusters to enable resource sharing as per the task at hand. Earmarking which formal sector develops which kind of informality is the preview of the planning agency and adequate studies have to be conducted. Conditions of informal sectors within informal settlements requires necessary mechanisms instituted when their redevelopment is timely envisioned. Survey when being performed have to consider unions as equal partners in data gathering exercises. Planning is to have a trajectory as per trends and the development plan is to be an enabler. Sufficient timelines have to be maintained to systemically bring aboard all acknowledged stakeholders.

Construction works those abundant in the city notes similar conditions as with other levels of informality. Provision of housing, health insurance, caretaking of children and safety on site are some of the several concerns to address. Welfare boards in this particular case isn’t functioning as desired while the organisation of NGO’s overlooking the sector too needs a degree of organisation.

This is a personal record of the events proceedings that was conducted in Hindi/ Marathi. Therefore these notes are an outcome from the English conversations that have crept in between and those which could be understood with reference to the slides shown.