An inspection of the vending zone in Sector-53 carried out last week by mayor Saurabh Joshi and other officials revealed that not a single vendor was present at the zone where 329 sites were allotted through a special draw of lots by the civic body last month.
This is despite the fact that a water tank and washroom was made available at the site.
When the inspection team reached the spot, wild grass growth was found along the pathway leading to the vending zone and on the adjoining roads. It was also observed that the vending zone is not situated in a residential area.
The mayor has asked to place the inspection report before the General House meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The supplementary agenda regarding the same, which is to be placed before the House, seeks clarification on the number of vendors who have actually occupied the sites allotted to them. The report states that 524 vending sites were feasible in Sector 53, against which 329 sites were allotted. In Sector 52, 64 sites were feasible and 64 sites were allotted.
The second question concerns complaints or representations from vendors seeking shifting or relocation from the existing vending sites in Sectors 52 and 53 to alternative locations.
In response, the MC has stated that multiple joint representations and grievances have been formally received from street vendors allotted sites in Sectors 53 and 52.
The MC had launched special zone-wise enforcement drives to shift registered vendors to designated vending sites following Supreme Court directives. Other agendas such as auctioning all paid parking sites, including the multi-level parking, in Sector 17 to a contractor will also come up in the House meeting.
Aneesha Sareen is a Special Correspondent at the Hindustan Times head office in Chandigarh. A reporter with two decades of experience, Aneesha has her eyes and ears firmly on the ground. She has extensively covered crime, courts, administration, politics, the Municipal Corporation and industry across Chandigarh and Punjab. During her stint as HT bureau head in Ludhiana from 2016 to 2023, she led a team of young journalists reporting across the length and breadth of the industrial city and its surrounding areas. She has also worked with the Indian Express and The Tribune in the past. Currently, she covers politics and Administration in Chandigarh. When not chasing stories, Aneesha enjoys travelling and exploring new cuisines.Read More