Panchkula first MC in state to have street vending plan

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 20

The Panchkula Municipal Corporation’s Town Vending Committee (TVC) has okayed ‘Panchkula City Street Vending Plan’. With the approval of TVC, now, Panchkula has become the first civic body in Haryana to have street vending plan.

Meanwhile, the MC has proposed to open three sites for Night Food Street under the same plan on Chandigarh’s pattern. These sites will be in Sector 5, MDC area and Sector 20.

The MC will now upload the draft vending plan on MC’s website and will give 21 days to seek public suggestions and objections on the plan.

Panchkula MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said they are hopeful that they will implement city’s street vending plan within one month.

In the town vending committee, no consensus was made on monthly rent.

The MC has identified 24 places in Panchkula for the purpose. The MC will rehabilitate around 2,799 street vendors. A mobile-based application, using the GIS mapping with the digital photograph of vendors, was employed in the survey conducted under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. As per Section 3 (III) of the Act, no street vendor will be evicted or reallocated from his/her place of livelihood till the survey is completed.

Notably, Parliament had passed the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which guarantees them the right to work as street vendors. They can be evicted only as per provisions of the Act.

Key features of town street vending plan

• The TVC will register all existing street vendors after due verification in the Municipal Corporation.
• The registration will be valid for 5 years.
• One time registration fee of Rs 100 will be deposited by the applicant.
• The vendors will not construct any permanent structure on allotted space.
• Will pay the rent of the allotted site on monthly basis.
• About 30% of sites shall be reserved for SCs women, persons with disability and minorities.
• The vending will be allowed from 6 am to 11 pm

Four postgrads, 58 graduates among vendors

Among 2,799 street vendors in Panchkula, four are postgraduates and 58 graduates. As many as 54 per cent street vendors did not attend school whereas 10 per cent attended school only till the primary level