Street vendors want MC to create special vending zones
Street vendors of Ludhiana would soon pressure the municipal corporation to create special vending zones for street vendors across the city. Although the project is underway and the MC will soon start a survey, the street vendor association wants that the process should be made faster so that the problems of traffic jams is solved.
MC was supposed to identify special zones for street vendors where they could install their carts and sell different items without interrupting the flow of traffic on roads across the city.
The policy was planned when there were several complaints regarding carts parked in a haphazard manner in different areas.
The Rehri Fadi Federation of Ludhiana and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) that had asked the MC to form a policy for exclusive vending zones now wants that the policy should be brought into force as soon as possible as the lack of such policy was taking a toll on the street vendors' business.
According to a top official of the MC, there would be 10 vending zones in each zone of the MC (there are four zones in the MC).
MC commissioner RK Verma has been involved in formulation of the policy. He had directed the officials nearly four months ago to conduct a survey on the issue after which it came to the light that 10 zones would be enough in each zone of the MC.
If the policy is implemented, it would give easy access to the residents to have street food with proper parking areas and also license to street vendors for their handcarts.
Ranjit Abhigyan, programme manager of National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) said that special zones in all the cities of the country were the demand of the association. He said that he had in past held discussions with MC officials who seemed to be willing to formulate a policy.
Abhigyan said, “MC officials were planning to conduct a survey and they had also asked us to give our own survey to them so that they could have a better idea of the needs of the street vendors.”
Interestingly, NASVI with support from Centre for Civil Society is going to organise a national street vendors dialogue with political leaders and civil society representatives to convert the Street Vendors Livelihood Protection Bill into an Act' on Wednesday (May 1) in New Delhi.
Abhigyan added, “The main purpose of organising the dialogue is to build momentum on getting effective central law in the current session of parliament itself through bringing key stakeholders including union ministers, members of parliament, civil society representatives.”
The law would ensure rights for street vendors throughout the country. From Ludhiana, Tiger Singh, who is the chief of Rehri Fadi Federation would visit Delhi and take part in the conference.
Read the story in Hindustan Times