Civic body proposes to waive licence fee of Covid-hit vendors in Chandigarh

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 7

Two months before elections, the Municipal Corporation is finally going to consider a long-pending demand of exempting registered street vendors from paying vending licence fee for the period when Covid restrictions were in place in the city.

The MC is bringing the agenda in this connection for approval in the House meeting scheduled to be held on November 12.

As per information, it is being proposed that the exemption should be given for the month of May when the UT Administration had imposed restrictions due to Covid’s second wave. However, councillors may press for increasing in the number of months in the exemption period.

The exemption is being proposed only for those street vendors who are not fee defaulters.

The proposal also excludes around 2,000 “habitual defaulters” whose vending licences have been suspended for three months. If the pending monthly fee is still unpaid, the licences of these vendors will be cancelled. Their pending payment pertains to the pre-Covid period, up to January 1, 2020.

The vendors pay a monthly fee between Rs300 and Rs2,000 depending upon their category and the area of vending.

“The MC should exempt the fee for at least three months as there was no business around the second wave of Covid,” demanded a vendor.

The vendors were also given fee exemption at the time of first phase. This year, second-hand car sellers and night food street outlet operators were exempted from paying rent quite early, but vendors’ grievance was yet to be heard.

Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma said, “We are bringing the agenda in the House and will provide them relief.”