Can’t have vending zone in playground, Vaishali residents tell district magistrate
Residents of all Vaishali sectors protested against the creation of a vending zone in the only playground of the area, asking that an alternative be identified.
In a meeting with the district magistrate on Thursday, residents from all Vaishali sectors protested against the creation of a vending zone in the only playground of the area, asking that an alternative be identified.
The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) needs to allot space for about 80 vendors following a court order. Officials have identified a portion of the playground in Sector 3, the only one among all nine Vaishali sectors, to be allotted to vendors.
The playground is used by residents as a community area for small events, weddings as well as festivals, including Durga Puja celebrations. With the festive season starting next month, residents say they will be left with no space for community celebrations.
“The residents have used their own money to develop the playground and maintain it. Now that Durga Puja and Dussehra are coming up, it won’t be available to us if it is allotted to vendors,” AK Ganguly, president, Alhcon Apartments, said.
Residents have been protesting against the move for the past three days, claiming that Vaishali already has two vending zones and another one at the playground will only make the area unsafe and inaccessible, especially for women and children.
“Another vending zone near the Mahagun Metro mall already has vacant spaces that have not been allotted. Despite this, this area is already unsafe, and residents avoid going there. During the meeting, officials were also unsure about the allocation and safety in the area,” SK Jha, president, Vaishali residents’ welfare association, said.
Other also residents contested the need for a new vending zone when two such areas already exist in the vicinity. The kiosks have now been turned to permanent shops and the sanitation of the market area is a health concern for residents.
“We have heard of residents being helpless when private builders arbitrarily use open areas for new buildings. The GDA is behaving just like A private builder trying to use all open green area for profits,” Manoj Awasthi, a resident of Vaishali, said.
According to officials, the district magistrate has asked them to survey the area again, including the existing vending zones, and check if an alternate site can be identified.
Residents have also suggested other areas, including one in Sector 1 of Vaishali, as alternate sites. Earlier, the sub divisional magistrate had visited the area. It was decided that a final decision would be taken in the meeting with district magistrate Ritu Maheshwari.
“We have been informed of another land in the vicinity and are checking for ownership records. If it is feasible, we may use it for vendors,” Maheshwari said.