HC tells govt to form panel for protecting street vendors

HC tells govt to form panel for protecting street vendors

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan high court on Monday directed the advocate general to constitute a committee for protecting the rights of street vendors and ensure that the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on the issue have been compiled.

The court order came on a PIL filed by the Centre for Civil Society seeking implementation of the provisions of Rajasthan Urban Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulations of Street Vending) 2012 and the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.

The act of 2014 states that the street vendors shall not be evicted from their places unless the town vending committee is constituted and a survey is done.

The directives were issued by a bench comprising Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice J K Ranka. Earlier, the high court issued notices to state government and asked to file reply in this matter.

"We are demanding that the provisions of the act may be complied with regarding constitution of the town vending committee and a survey shall be carried out on exiting street vendors and vending zones identified," said counsel for the petitioner, Indresh Sharma.

In the absence of implementation of such provisions, the street vendors are facing great difficulty for their livelihood and the municipal authorities removes them from their places. The notices have already been served and a reply has been filed by the respondents. The municipal corporation stated in the reply that town vending committee is yet to be formed.

Read the story in The Times of India.