Relocate registered vendors within four weeks: HC to MC

Bench also directs civic body to relocate the registered vendors to designated sites

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday directed Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) to remove all illegal vendors with immediate effect and relocate the registered vendors to designated sites within the next four weeks.

The vendors operating from non-vending zones and other registered vendors across the city would be relocated to 44 zones identified by the town vending committee of MC. (HT PHOTO)

The direction from the high court bench of justice Ravi Shanker Jha and justice Rajiv Sharma came on a batch of pleas from vendors, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and market associations, including traders’ body of Sector-17. The Sector-17 traders’ body had filed a fresh plea on Thursday seeking removal of vendors.

As a result, Sector-17 and Sector 1 to Sector-6 will be cleared of all registered vendors as these are non-vending zones. The vendors operating from non-vending zones and other registered vendors across the city would be relocated to 44 zones identified by the town vending committee of MC. The bench also asked RWAs, vendors and others to submit their representation, if any against the vending sites or related issue to MC, which will decide the same before taking final decision.

Earlier, Chandigarh’s senior standing counsel Pankaj Jain had told the court that surveys undertaken by MC under the Street Vendors Act 2014 had revealed there were 22,000 vendors in the city out of which 9,356 were eligible to be considered for registration and relocation to identified zones. There are 2,800 mobile vendors and 6,685 are such who are to be accommodated in 5,034 sites in 44 vending zones.

Earlier, appearing for the Sector-17 traders’ body, senior advocate Puneet Bali had told the court that there are 200 odd traders and offices in Sector-17 and 600 vendors. “Every trader is paying ₹10-12 lakh rent per month, water and power bills etc and taxes. If even a minor change is brought, traders are slapped with resumption notices but vendors are sitting right outside their shops and MC does not act against them,” Bali said, seeking immediate attention.

Those appearing for the vendors pointed out that surveys had not been done as per the provisions of law and vending zones too have not been notified as mandated in Act. The vendor’s lawyers even after repeated queries from the court could not show whether they were granted licenses at any point in time. “You have MC Act. You people are not living in some tribal area,” the court observed, asking why there were no licenses with them.

MC, on the other hand, told the court that an application filed in December 2018 for giving effect to relocation of vendors be allowed since it has completed other formalities for shifting of vendors. Later, the bench seeking a report on relocation and removal of vendors gave MC four weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on November 19.

Observations

If we go by your submissions, there is no non-vending zone on this earth- Bench on argument that tourist places should have vendors

Chandigarh has become as good as Delhi- Bench when apprised of the extent of menace