Over 2,500 north Delhi weekly markets to get smart makeover

these local markets generally draw power from the nearby grid illegally. Sanitation is another issue as after the bazaar is over, the vendors leave the streets littered with waste.

TILAK RAJ KATARIA, North DMC standing committee chairman

NEWDELHI: Over 2,500 weekly markets in North Delhi will soon sport a smart look. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to replace the temporary kiosks in these markets with ‘wheeled shops’ made up of fibre sheets. The moveable kiosks will be equipped with solar panel to produce power as per their requirement.

The North DMC standing committee chairman Tilak Raj Kataria said, the step has been taken to reduce the nuisance and congestion in residential areas, where weekly markets are held.

“Though there is a specific space allocated to weekly markets, but the shopkeepers often encroach upon additional space causing traffic jams. Further, for electricity supply, the markets generally draw power from the nearby grid illegally. Sanitation is another issue as after the bazaar is over, the vendors leave the site unclean, which leads to the inconvenience to others,” he said.

The civic agency is working upon the designs of these ‘wheeled shops’. “Each unit will cost around ₹2.5 lakhs, which will be borne by the vendors. They would be able to obtain loans from banks enrolled in our panel,” said Kataria.

As soon the proposal is prepared, it will be brought before the standing committee for final approval. “If the vendors have space constraints, then we will arrange for vacant sites where these moveable kiosks can be parked during night,” said Kataria.

The civic agency had earlier approved the plan for online registration of the vendors at weekly markets in a house meeting. The vendors would be given Gps-enabled smart cards for proper regulation. “The idea is to keep exact record of the sites and area covered by these vendors at various markets. Also, this will help in keeping track over unauthorised vendors keeping stall at weekly bazaars,” said an official.

But vendor associations believe that the plan won’t be easy to implement. “How can they register the vendors if no rules and regulations are laid down for formation of town vending committee by Delhi Government. Also, no survey about exact number of vendors in city has been done by civic bodies,” said Anurag Shankar of Redhi Patri Congress, Delhi Pradesh.

Besides wheeled shops, the civic agency will soon move proposal to install CCTV cameras in all important crossings and main roads of markets. According to officials, market associations are ready to sponsor the cameras and their installation, so the work would be taken up as soon as the proposal is cleared.