Residents up ante against blaring mobile hawkers selling goods in colonies

RANGAREDDY: In the absence of proper deterrent measures to check nuisance created by mobile hawkers selling goods, vegetables, using loudspeakers, annoyed residents in different colonies in Rajendranagar have upped the ante, saying it is disturbing their peace every day. They seek police intervention to check the hawkers and noisy weekly markets, saying it is disturbing their peace of mind and often creating traffic congestion.

It is said that complaints from the residents of multiple colonies are pouring in against blaring mobile hawkers roaoing in colonies either to collect scrap or to sell goods and vegetables, using automated loudspeakers mounted on vehicles. Besides, the residents said, the noisy weekly markets right at approached roads of colonies are creating traffic issues much to the chagrin of the denizens.

“We have been witnessing a rapid rise in mobile hawkers selling items using loudspeakers mounted on vehicles in residential colonies causing great inconvenience for the residents’, rued MAH Asif, a senior resident of Shastripuram Colony under Mailardevpally police station limits. “It is not just about professionals working from their home offices,” he said, adding, “those who try to find some peaceful moments at their home after odd-time shifts, beside patients old and infants, are getting disturbed due to blaring speakers used by the hawkers every few minutes.

“Every day we encounter at least 8-10 mobile hawkers barging into our colony with high decibel speakers,” added Syed Shoukat Ali, another resident. “We have raised this issue multiple times with the police and the GHMC officials concerned, but to no avail,” he bemoaned. Endorsing him, A Prashant of Hydershahkote said, “the unruly and noisy weekly markets allowed to perform at main approach roads of colonies too became a source of traffic congestion often leading to quarrels between the locals and the vendors.”

Ramesh, a resident from Kismatpur, said, “the blaring loudspeakers mounted by mobile hawkers trigger a sense of uneasiness. These hawkers with blaring loudspeakers are found barging into a colony every 15 minutes.”

In some cases, residents said, children--as young as 12--are found driving vehicles collecting scrap and selling vegetables in colonies which is against the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, and Telangana Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Rules 1995, which prohibits employment of children under 14 in most occupations.