India, May 15 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started issuing QR code-enabled licences to authorised stall owners across Mumbai, marking a major push towards digitising the city's hawking regulation system amid mounting scrutiny from the Bombay High Court over illegal street vending.

The new licence, seen by HT, prominently displays a QR code that can be scanned to verify the hawker's authenticity, including their name, vending location, and the commodities permitted for sale.

The move comes days after the high court pulled up the BMC for failing to curb illegal hawking in the city despite repeated directions over the years. During a hearing on May 5, the court suggested introducing a QR code-based identification sys...