Street vendors’ registration begins

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Servicce

Ludhiana, May 23

The much awaited survey on street vendors started from today.

It will be a paperless survey which would be done by Haryana Nav Yuvak Kala Sangam. Street vendors, who are expected to be nearly 25,000 in city, will be registered through biometric services and Aadhaar card. Once the MC designates places to them, their exploitation will also be curbed to some extent.

Street Vendor Planning Survey —the app through which the survey would be done was launched here by Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria and MC Commissioner Jaskiran Singh in the presence of Congress councillors Balkar Singh and Narinder Sharma Kala.

The company will take approximately six months’ time to complete the survey.

Jasdev Singh Sekhon of the Tehbazari wing said: “Once everything is done, the MC will be able to generate regular income from vendors by charging monthly and they will be allowed to earn their livelihood without any fear of rehris being lifted by the MC or paying unnecessary to a few persons. This was much awaited. Once designated places are given to vendors, things will be streamlined. Those putting rehris in the name of others, will not be able to continue with their business by exploiting the poor and the needy.”

Meanwhile, president of Rehri-Ferri Vendors’ Association Tiger Singh said with the start of the survey, there was satisfaction among rehri vendors that now they would not have to face harassment at the hands of muscle-men, councilors or MC staff members. “For putting rehris on roads, we are asked to pay Rs150-200 daily to persons dominating in the respective areas. This was harassing. On top of it, even then our rehris were lifted by the MC staff and we had to pay them to get the stock back,” said Tiger, adding that they hope to get some respite now.