Despite paying fee, street vendors yet to get space

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 11

Two months after street vendors started paying monthly fee to the Municipal Corporation (MC), they are yet to be allotted space. This has led to resentment among vendors as they are now feeling cheated.

“I have paid the monthly fee twice. But those who neither got themselves registered nor paid the fee continue to run their businesses. Mostly people from other states encroach upon the land here in the absence of a check by the MC. The locals who have registered themselves with the MC are feeling cheated,” said a street vendor in Sector 19 here.

MC officials said they had completed the registration of vendors but the draw of lots to give them space would start after building the required infrastructure for them. It will take around three more months following which the draw of lots will be held. “They should have taken the payment only after the implementation of the Act,” added another vendor.

Notably, the camp for the registration of vendors had concluded on January 16. “Over 8,700 have registered with the MC. The draw of lots has not been planned yet as we are busy building infrastructure for vendors,” shared an MC officer.

Additional Commissioner Anil Kumar Garg said, “We are disposing of the applications received from vendors. We will hold the draw of lots soon. We had received 1,442 applications, which could not be cleared due to varied reasons. We have so far cleared 700 of these.” 

From Mar 1, pay fee at Sampark Centres

At present, large queues of vendors are seen at the MC office. “From March 1, vendors will be able to pay fee at Sampark Centres in the city,” said an official.