Process to identify zones for street vendors begins
NEW DELHI: The three municipal corporations have initiated the process to identify vending zones by constituting inter-departmental committees in the second phase of their vendor identification survey exercise, officials aware of the matter said.
The inter-agency committee comprises officials from municipal corporation, traffic police, PWD and officials from revenue department. A South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) official overseeing the formulation of vending plan process said that a committee with representatives from all agencies, town planning department, street vendors and subject experts has been formed in each administrative zone with the deputy commissioner at its head. “These committees will do the ground work to identify potential vending zones which can later be notified at subsequent stage,” the official said. A similar order has been issued by other two civic bodies. “It is hereby ordered to constitute one committee each for Shahdara South and Shahadra North zones to undertake preparation of draft plan for street vending as envisaged under the section 21 of the Street vendors act (2014) and principles of Delhi street vendors protection of livelihood and regulations of street vending scheme,” an order by additional deputy commissioner of the east corporation said.
The committee have been asked to prepare vending plans of each zone and submit the drafts to central licensing department. The eleven member committees include deputy commissioner as chairperson, member of existing Town Vending Committee (TVC), assistant commissioner, chief town planner, deputy commissioner of police, DCP traffic, subdivisional magistrate, executive engineer of Public Works Department, deputy director planning (DDA), expert from school of planning and architecture or IIT-Delhi and representative of market association or Resident Welfare Associations. An EDMC official explained that the committees have been formed based on the directions of Delhi high court. Over the last six months, the court has ordered eviction of street vendors in major markets including Connaught place, Chandni Chowk, Sarojini Nagar, Nehru Place among other sites. National Association of Street Vendors in India (NASVI) has argued that the thousands of vendors have been displaced even though no new vending zones have been notified.