Gurgaon: Shopkeepers, MCG officials clash at Huda market over hawkers’ zone

The MCG has identified around 23 vending zones across the city. The MCG, on the direction of the Punjab and Haryana high court, had recently carried out a survey to identify street vendors across 35 wards to rehabilitate them.

Shopkeepers and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) got into fisticuffs over the creation of hawkers’ zone’ at the Sector 56 Huda market on Friday evening.

Shopkeepers protested against the setting up of new carts saying there is not enough infrastructure for the vendors. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Shopkeepers protested against the setting up of new carts saying there is not enough infrastructure for them. When the authorities forced their way into the market, it caused tension and to avert any untoward incident the police were called in.

“The MCG officials had come to place carts and shopkeepers had some issue about encroachment. This was resolved within a few minutes,” said inspector Arvind Dhaiya, SHO, Sector 56 police station.

The residents of Sector 56 and shopkeepers are opposing the hawkers’ zone. The major concerns of residents are parking and sanitation.

The MCG has identified around 23 vending zones across the city.

The shopkeepers claimed that the market is yet not developed and needs toilets, garbage collection, sweepers, roads, greenery, benches for senior citizens, swings for children, proper road connectivity and lights.

“It is clearly mentioned in a SC judgment that there should be no hawking within 150 metres from any municipal markets. In this case, the distance is hardly 50 metres,” Lt.Col (retd) Raghbir Singh, president of the market association, said.

“We bought shops at higher prices and these carts will affect our business. We are ready to support the MCG and suggest another vacant land nearby, but we will not let the hawkers zone in the market,” he said.

Sumit Bhatnagar, a shopkeeper, said, “The market lacks basic facilities and adding a hawkers’ zone with 50 carts will add to the chaos.”

A former area councillor, Mahesh Dayma, said, “I had written to the MCG commissioner to ensure the interest of shopkeepers should also be kept in mind so that their business is not affected.”

This initiative is similar to INA market in New Delhi, where vendors are allowed to sell a variety of food at affordable rates while small shops in the market also cater to the shoppers at a reasonable price.

The project was initiated after the MCG formed a town vending committee to earmark vending or hawking zones in the city and implement the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2015.

“These allegations are baseless. All rules are being followed in setting up street hawking zones,” Vivek Kalia, joint commissioner, MCG, said.