India, May 7 -- The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra government to print identification cards for authorised hawkers, saying funds should be allocated for a process that was for the "convenience of the common man".

While the state told the court that such actions may be feasible in non-hawking zones, the real challenge lies in hawking zones where both licensed and illegal hawkers operate side by side. However, a division bench of justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata noted that the only effective way to distinguish between authorised and illegal hawkers is through a clear identification mechanism.

"You, being the state of Maharashtra, you are spending so much money ...