Chandigarh vendors want fee exemption, not loan

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 14

Vendors in the city have demanded the Municipal Corporation to exempt them from paying vending fee for six months. The Centre had recently announced the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANIDHI) Scheme that enables vendors to avail of a working capital loan of Rs10,000, which is repayable in monthly installments in the tenure of one year.

On timely and early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy at the rate of 7 per cent per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on six monthly basis.

Vendors said there was no or minimal sale due to the Covid-19 crisis. Not even a single vendor was operating from some of the vending sites such as Sector 15. They said they needed fee exemption instead of loan. The MC in its last House meeting had exempted them from paying fee for April and May, but they wanted more, they said.

“Only a few vegetable and fruit vendors will be able to avail of the benefit of the scheme. Since most of the vendors are operating on an odd-even basis, why is the MC charging us for the entire month. The licence fee must not be charged,” said Santosh, a street vendor registered in Sector 15.

Ram Milan Gaud, president of the Chandigarh Vendors’ Association, said, “Vendors need economic relief. It’s just a loan, which we’ll have to pay ultimately. How will we pay when there are no customers? They should give us six-month fee exemption.”

Councillor Anil Dubey had also raised the demand in the MC House meeting.

An MC official said, “We have already exempted vendors from paying fee for April and May. Future decisions will be taken after assessing the ground situation. As far as the scheme is concerned, it is to ensure that the vendors don’t get exploited in the need of the hour.”