SMC planning survey for allotment of space to vendors

Surat:

Of the approximately 60

,000 street vendors and food cart owners in the city,

only 28

,000 have got themselves registered until now. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is planning to end the chaos caused by vendors and food cart owners at many places in the 326 sq km area under its limits. SMC has drawn up a plan to accommodate 1,000 vendors in Rander zone, Katargam zone and Limbayat zone under National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM).

A town planning officer said, “The issue of street vendors is complex. We will be appointing a consultant to carry out a survey before allotting space to registered vendors in 2020-21.”

Jaylal, president of Jagte Raho, a non-government organization, said, “SMC is bent upon choosing wrong locations to allot space to the vendors. A vendor must be located at a place which saves a consumer’s time, fuel, money and also helps reduce traffic congestion. If a vendor is located on a road which is near consumers’ houses or offices, they can buy the required things on the way.”

As per the street vending law, one third portion of footpath in a specific area can be allotted to street vendors on a permanent basis. The problem is the vendors refuse to move out from the place where they are located on the premise it will affect their business.

Jaylal said, “All food carts must be located at consumers’ doorsteps. They could be allotted spaces on ancillary roads near the residential localities. For a critical issue like this, town vending committees must be set up. SMC has constituted arbitrary committees without proper representations of people concerned.”