Mumbai: Citizens of Matunga have started an online campaign against BJP MLA Tamil Selvan for preventing BMC officials from demolishing over two dozen stalls of flower-sellers who have completely encroached the pavements in front of Matunga post-office.

According to Dr Gaurang Vora, "Tamil Selvan should realise that he is supposed to uphold the law and work solely in the larger interest of society rather than using his power to victimise honest staff of F/north ward."

Last Thursday morning the BMC had bulldozed the stalls in a swift operation under police protection. But by evening they were back at their old spots.

On Friday morning, the BMC demolition squad of the F/north ward office led by assistant municipal commissioner Nitin Shukla again went to demolish the offending stalls. While the hawkers physically stopped the operation, Selvan ordered the staff to stop the demolition.

There is extreme resentment among civic staff against the action of Selvan. Said a senior official: "We are totally frustrated by the illegal conduct of Selvan. Our staff is demoralised. It takes a lot of planning to carry out demolitions. If our efforts are stopped then it will send the wrong message to others who are indulging in encroachment."

Another official said "we want to register a criminal offence under section 186 of the IPC for preventing public servants from performing their duty, but Selvan constantly drops the name of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis." In fact, Selvan took a delegation of the hawkers to Fadnavis on Saturday, but did not receive a response either way from the CM.

What is interesting is that Selvan is an MLA from Sion-Koliwada whereas the illegal stalls are located in Matunga, whose local MLA is Kalidas Kolambkar. The latter said in the interest of pedestrians these stalls can be shifted. "I would have come to the site when the demolition took place, but I was in Vidhan Bhavan," he explained.

These stalls were erected following the initiative taken by the late don Varadaraj Mudaliar several years ago. Not all of them are licensed. But all of them completely occupy the footpath along Telang Road and Bhandarkar Road thereby forcing citizens to walk on the road by risking their lives.

In the past also efforts were made to remove these stalls, but in vain because of political pressure. "The flower-sellers collectively make lakhs of rupees daily and have tremendous financial clout," a Youth Congress leader observed.