E-Paper
All-party committee to address street vendor ID issue in Himachal: Vikramaditya
Himachal Pradesh government clarified on Friday that no decision has been taken so far to make it mandatory for street vendors to display their identity cards.
Following his meeting with Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, Himachal Pradesh urban development minister Vikramaditya Singh said that an all-party committee would be formed to address the issue of designated vending zones in the state.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Vikramaditya Singh said that the vending zones would be created in line with the instructions of the Supreme Court and the Himachal Pradesh high court.
His statement comes amid a row over the mandatory display of the identity of street vendors in Himachal Pradesh as announced by him on Wednesday, following which a meeting was called by the Congress high command in the national capital on Friday.
Vikramaditya Singh clarified his statement and said that he did not want to hurt anyone’s sentiment and that people from every corner of the country were welcome to the state. “An all-party committee has been formed for the issue of vending zones, which will see how vending is to be done. There are many instructions of the high court and the Supreme Court in this regard. We do not want to hurt anyone’s sentiments; people from any corner of the country are welcome in the state, but it is also our responsibility to take care of the concerns of the local people and in this regard, I have told the party high command that the government will work together with the high command on this,” he said.
“Yesterday a good meeting was held; many issues were discussed in the context of Himachal Pradesh. This issue (regarding displaying the names of owners on restaurant boards) was also discussed and I assured him (Venugopal) that it is our responsibility to follow the party’s instructions and we are the party’s dedicated workers. I have also told him that the government and chief minister (Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu) are making every effort to resolve this dispute that has been going on in Himachal Pradesh for a long time,” the minister said.
Following his announcement, the Himachal Pradesh government clarified on Friday that no decision has been taken so far to make it mandatory for street vendors to display their identity cards.
Asked about the rumours regarding his resignation, he said that these were baseless and that there was no need to react to them.
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratibha Singh, who is Vikramaditya Singh’s mother, was also present at the meeting with the Congress general secretary.
Following the meeting, she said on Saturday, “Whenever we come to Delhi, we try to meet senior leaders and the party high command. We follow their orders... Yesterday we met KC Venugopal, and we have spoken to him... Vikramaditya had some meetings of his department here. Many projects are funded by the Centre, so it is important to coordinate with them, with PM (Narendra) Modi and other leaders, because it is in the interest of the state. Earlier, when the (flood) tragedy happened in Himachal Pradesh, we informed the central government and sought their help. We work only in the interest of the state.”
