Street vendors strike over document burden

Shimla witnessed a day-long strike by the Street Vendors Union, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), as hundreds of vendors staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Wednesday. The agitation was sparked by the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s requirement of eight separate documents for the verification and registration of street vendors.

The protesters demanded that the condition be scrapped and that registration be carried out solely on the basis of Aadhaar cards, in line with provisions of the Street Vendors Act, 2014.

Union leaders alleged that the MC was harassing street vendors through fines and confiscation of their cooking equipment, despite their legal entitlement to protection under the Act. They insisted that the registration process must be simplified and the law implemented in letter and spirit to safeguard the livelihood of vendors.

Warning of escalated action, the union said if their grievances were not addressed immediately, they would intensify the agitation and take out rallies to the state Assembly and Secretariat.