Enforcement staff shifted, duty hrs changed

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 28

A day after councillors accused the city Municipal Corporation of corruption with regard to rampant encroachments by unauthorised street vendors, the enforcement wing’s staff were shifted within the department and their work hours were changed.

The duty timings have been changed from 11 am-7am to 12 noon-8 pm. However, some councillors feel the duty hours should have been till 10 pm as the most unregistered street vendors operate till then. They also feel the transfers should be done to other wings of the MC rather than inter-department.

While welcoming the move, BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi, whose ward’s Sector 15 already has the largest number of registered street vendors besides unregistered ones, said, “We are happy that the Deputy Commissioner-cum-MC Commissioner has acted right after his first House meeting. However, we will have to wait for 15 minutes to see the execution of the orders on the ground. Besides, the duty hours have been extended only by an hour, which is too less. It should have been extended till 10 pm.”

Another councillor said, “The staff will wind up at 7 pm on the plea that seized goods have to be kept at the MC store as per the existing practice. Also, many of them have been posted in the enforcement wing for the past many years and should be shifted to other departments. It has been done in the past as well.”

Leave alone removing illegal vendors from markets across the city, the enforcement wing has failed to remove street vendors even from Sector 17, which has been declared a no-vending zone by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

No check on vendors

Leave alone removing illegal vendors from markets across the city, the enforcement wing has failed to remove street vendors even from Sector 17, which has been declared a no-vending zone by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.