Greater Noida authority begins process to finalise locations for street vendors

GREATER NOIDA: To regulate street vendors and ensure smooth flow of traffic on city roads, the Greater Noida authority has decided to finalise the locations for

GREATER NOIDA: To regulate street vendors and ensure smooth flow of traffic on city roads, the Greater Noida authority has decided to finalise the locations for them and issue vending licences. The vendors will also be given licences for moving carts on some city roads, said officials.

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The officials said that the authority will get rid of all squatters after issuance of licence and offering possession at the designated site.

The authority’s chief executive officer, Narendra Bhooshan, along with other officials, on Tuesday conducted an inspection in various sectors, including Alpha 1 and 2, and Beta 1 and 2 to finalise vending zones.

Notably, the authority has started the process to identify street vending zones more than two years after the state government issued an order in this regard. In February 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government had approved livelihood protection and street vendor settlement guidelines, 2018, under Section 36 of the Street Vendors (livelihood protection and street vendor settlement) Act, 2014. The purpose was to identify vending zones to regulate street vendors and also issue licence to them.

“We have inspected some residential areas to identify the locations for the vending zones. We have instructed the staff to identify the locations in a manner so that the vending zones do not cause hindrances to smooth flow of traffic and also benefit the residents,” said Deep Chandar, additional chief executive officer, Greater Noida authority.

However, the Greater Noida authority has not fixed any deadline as to when they will identify these locations. The authority has decided to allow vends at a distance of 800 metres and in some areas the distance between two vending zones will be 2,000 metres depending upon the area’s population and vehicular pressure, said the officials.

According to the officials, there will be three categories of vending zones -- vending zones along city roads, zones for moving vendors and zones meant for the weekly markets in each locality. The authority CEO has directed the circle officials and others to conduct a survey, talk to residents’ welfare associations or market welfare associations and others before finalizing the vending zones, the officials said.

Alok Singh, founder member of Active Citizen Team, a social group, said, “The vending zone should be approved in a manner so that it does not cause traffic jams and nuisance in residential areas. Also, vends should be regulated in markets so that they do not cause sanitation issues.”