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Mohali | GMADA dragging feet on handing street vending sites to MC
Despite earmarking the sites, several surveys and assurances, GMADA continues to sit tight on allotting the street vending sites to Mohali municipal corporation for implementation of the Street Vendors’ Act, 2014
Despite earmarking the sites, several surveys and assurances, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) continues to sit tight on allotting the sites to the municipal corporation for implementation of the Street Vendors’ Act, 2014.
The civic body, which will implement the Act in Mohali, has been writing letters to the authority for the past two years for approval and possession of sites, but in vain.
Meanwhile, illegal vendors continue to dot several main markets of the city, especially those in Phases 7, 3B1, 3B2, 9, 10 and 11. Most of these vendors are functioning from the parking area and market corridors, blocking parking and pedestrian space.
“GMADA earmarked six sites in September 2021. Besides several meetings, around 10 letters have been sent to the authority requesting them to allot these sites, but there is no progress. We need possession of sites to begin the process of relocating vendors,” said MC commissioner Kamal Kumar Garg.
On the other hand, GMADA chief administrator Vipul Ujwal said the earmarked sites were not feasible as these were concentrated in one place. “We have told MC to identify more sites in different parts of the city and after approval, we will allot them,” he said.
Implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, has been hanging fire since 2015, when MC had first ordered a survey to identify street vendors in the city.
The Act is aimed at registering and rehabilitating street vendors, and also safeguarding them against exploitation at the hands of enforcement officers. It also calls for proper rationing of urban streets and spaces.
A private company hired by MC to carry out the survey had initially shortlisted 2,295 vendors, but the MC House found gaps in the survey and ordered it anew. Later in 2017, the civic body concluded there were 993 moving and stationary vendors, a number that has since grown manifold.
In January last 2020, MC had decided to implement the Act first in Phase 7, where as many as 139 vendors are registered. The MC commissioner had even asked the agency that conducted the survey to mark vending space in the parking areas, but the plan had fallen flat following objections by the market welfare association and area councillor.
Thereon, MC issued identity cards to 200 of the 993 vendors, but they were never given designated spaces to carry out their trade. Later in September, GMADA earmarked eight sites, but has failed to allot these.
