The civic administration would formulate new guidelines after consulting the Opposition in the corporation and implement the revised scheme only after the plan is approved by the General Body of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), he said. However, the ban on hawkers within 250 mt from railway stations will remain.

``I have already written to corporators opposing the scheme asking them to submit their suggestions. We shall take the Opposition into confidence as well. We have to think of both, residents as well as the hawkers,'' he conceded, adding that a compromise will have to be worked out.

Even the guidelines stipulating a minimum distance between temples, hospitals and other public places from the proposed hawking zoneswill be open to revision, the mayor said.

Unable to fix a deadline for the revised plan, Satam said, ``Even if it takes two months, I shall wait,'' he said, admitting that he had not anticipated such widespread opposition from citizens. Meetings could even be held zone-wise to elicit the residents' views.

The proposed hawking zone scheme, meant to stem the haphazard proliferation of vendors on Mumbai's streets, met with fierce resistance from citizens who were loathe to allowing the invasion of residential areas by hawkers. Traders in various parts of the city also offered stiff resistance, organising bandhs and morchas to protest against the relocation of vendors in front of their commercial establishments as per the original plan.

Clarify on residential areas: HC The Bombay High Court directed the BMC to declare a cut-off date prior to which hawkers will be accommodated in the proposed hawking zones.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice M B Shah and Justice Y S Jahagirdar issued the directionwhile hearing 16-odd petitions filed by citizens' groups against the hawking zone plan. The court, which stayed the plan's implementation last week, has now scheduled the next hearing for October 6.

BMC counsel, D Y Chandrachud, told the court today that the BMC would soon issue a public notice inviting suggestions and objections to the formation of hawking zones and that information and layouts regarding the proposed zones can be inspected by the public at their respective ward offices.

The plans will then be finalised by the municipal commissioner on or before November 10 after taking the corporation's approval.

The court also directed the BMC to file an affidavit explaining whether it will provide hawking facilities to all hawkers or whether it will accommodate only the licensed hawkers. There are 15,000 licensed hawkers in Mumbai and 1,50,000 unlicensed ones. The BMC has also been asked whether it will accommodate hawkers in residential areas and if so, whether it would be legal to allow commercialactivity in residential areas.

The petitioners' counsels argued that the corporation had constructed markets (like Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg market near Matunga railway station and Gandhi Market near King's Circle) for hawkers.

However, despite such demarcation, the hawkers have connived with municipal officers and transferred their area of operation. They alleged that hawkers have taken large amounts in lieu of the allotted plots and pointed out that a hawkers' plaza is constructed at Dadar. Two more plazas are being constructed at Chembur to accommodate vegetable vendors. Plots are also available at Andheri. Yet, hawkers continue to hawk on the roads, the petitioners contended. Also, flower vendors prefer to hawk on the roads rather than in specified areas, the counsel added. Therefore, the court today directed the BMC to find out if allocation of such zones serves any purpose.