2 weeks ago
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The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation’s 16-member Town Vending Committee has projected a program to modulate thoroughfare vending successful the metropolis by demarcating streets arsenic restriction-free vending (green), restricted vending (amber), and no-vending (red) zones. While the determination is intended to code the city’s increasing postulation problems, hawkers connected Besant Road allege that it volition severely impact their livelihoods.
As per the program projected by the committee connected May 4, 2026, gathering constituted by the civic body, determination are 496 green, 33 amber, and 156 reddish zones successful Circle I; 207 green, 53 amber and 26 reddish zones successful Circle II; 82 green, 53 amber, and 203 reddish zones successful Circle III.
The A.P. Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2017, recognises that the regularisation of thoroughfare vending is important to guarantee escaped travel of postulation and creaseless question of pedestrians. If a hawker needs to beryllium relocated, the process indispensable travel a circumstantial procedure; this includes issuing a notice, proceeding the hawker’s case, and ensuring they are conveniently relocated.
The determination has drawn crisp ire from hawkers, who fearfulness they volition suffer their livelihood if the corp goes up with the projected plan. “The corp does not deliberation doubly earlier giving abstraction to large companies, but hawkers person go a nuisance to them. How is this fair?” asks erstwhile CPI(M) corporator B. Satyam Babu.
Reacting to the Besant Road issue, wherever store owners and hawkers are astatine loggerheads implicit space, Mr. Satyam Babu said markets are meant to beryllium engaged and hawkers are lifeline of Besant Road. He besides pointed retired that the committee does not person immoderate typical subordinate from hawkers.
Last week, a fewer hawkers staged a protestation adjacent the VMC bureau highlighting their issues, and demanded that the corp contented thoroughfare vendors’ individuality cards immediately. They alleged that immoderate hawkers paid for the paper but inactive did not person it.
“The ID cards support america from harassment by the police, corporation, and store owners. The cards besides marque america eligible for assorted payment schemes. But, determination are galore of america who are yet to person it,” said Someswara Rao, subordinate of a hawkers’ association, affiliated to CITU.
According to sources from the VMC, notices person been issued to 200 unauthorised ID holders. While 131 of them person submitted their explanation, 69 are yet to bash so. The full process is expected to implicit soon.
