Illegal vendors are back, reveals Chandigarh SSP’s letter to SHOs
Just 20 days after the Chandigarh municipal corporation’s first-of-its-kind massive eviction drive, illegal vendors are back in city markets. This was revealed in an internal communication shared by senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagadale with station house officers (SHOs) on Thursday.
In a letter, a copy of which is with HT, the SSP said it has come to the notice that unauthorised vendors have again started encroaching on several locations in the city. “The MC has constituted 12 enforcement teams to check such encroachments. All SHOs are directed that as and when the team of enforcement staff approaches for police assistance, the SHOs concerned should immediately extend full cooperation to them,” the SSP added.
It is not first such communication from the police. On December 16 (10 days after MC drive), traffic police’s road survey report given to the MC also flagged concerns about illegal vending on the roads separating Sectors 44 and 45, Sector 32 and 33 and Sector 45 and 46 where helmet and cigarette sellers were spotted.
MARKET ASSOCIATIONS RAISE FLAG
Even as Sector 17 is clear of encroachments, other areas are witnessing unauthorised vending.
General secretary of the Sector 22 Shastri Market Welfare Association Ashwini Kumar said illegal vendors have changed their modus operandi as they no longer squat on the roadside. Rather, they sell goods roaming around. The enforcement wing of the MC is not able to catch these vendors. “Enforcement teams should not lower down their guards,” he said. The enforcement team’s duty is fixed between 11am and 9pm, but illegal vending can be seen after 7pm.
There are complaints regarding illegal vending around the ISBT in Sectors 17 and 43 where illegal eateries operate at night.
WE ARE KEEPING A TAB: MC CHIEF
MC commissioner KK Yadav said there is strict checking of illegal vendors everyday and most of them have been removed. The SSP’s letter to SHOs is in light of a recent incident when illegal vendors charged the MC enforcement team at the Indira Colony during an enforcement drive.