Pune : QR codes for hawkers to trace materials that PMC has seized

In an attempt to prevent mishandling of material confiscated during anti-encroachment drives, the civic body has implemented a QR code tracking system for the items.

Roadside vendors will receive these codes, according to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials, to assist them in finding the materials that local officials have taken during drives.

According to a senior PMC official, hawkers had complained that material that had been seized was being stolen and improperly handled, which was costing them money. Transparency will be improved by the QR codes.

For the exercise, the municipal administration will purchase electronic QR code generators and distribute them to ward offices throughout the city. These machines will generate QR codes, which will then be tagged to the items and assigned with details such as the location of the goods’ disposal, the kind of materials used, and other details. The PMC head office will keep track of this data centrally and work with the ward office to release seized goods.

The largest of PMC’s 20 godowns, located in Balewadi, is where items that have been confiscated are kept.

In addition, PMC prosecutes illegal hawkers who steal stalls with severance. According to civic officials, PMC charges a fee for the yearly renewal of hawkers’ licenses. Since the owners of the 80 stalls had not renewed their trade licenses, the administration has sealed them.