Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 20
Even after about six years of implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, the residential area around one of the city’s busiest market, Sadar Bazaar in Sector 19, continues to be illegal vendors’ paradise, causing huge trouble to visitors as well as local residents.
The parking lot, road and pavement are all in illegal occupation of vendors. So much so, 13 vendors are operating from Sadar Bazaar even after losing their case in the Supreme Court. The Municipal Corporation (MC) tried to remove some of them after the verdict about two years ago, but an anti-encroachment drive against them was stopped following political pressure.
Residents’ grouse
It becomes difficult even to step out of the house, especially in the evening hours. There are vendors and vehicles all around. The number of vendors is far more than the allotted sites. What is the use of the Street Vendors Act when our miseries have not abated? —Rajiv Moudgil, President, Sector 19 RWA
The parking lot of the market is full of vendors, forcing visitors to park their vehicles outside houses of people living in the neighbourhood.
“It becomes difficult even to step out of the house, especially in the evening hours. There are vendors and vehicles all around. There are a lot more number of vendors against the allotted sites. What is the use of the Vendors Act when our miseries have not abated? There are no cops to guide people about parking,” lamented Rajiv Moudgil, president of Residents’ Welfare Association in Sector 19.
Vinay Kumar, another resident, rued, “Other than inconvenience, safety of our children and elderly people is also at stake. The MC must act sternly against those who have been operating without any licence and sitting at non-designated places.”
“Since my childhood, I am seeing vendors sitting in the parking lot and the road outside Sadar Bazaar. It is open for all. Many sites have been sub-let. Some individuals are operating from two-three sites. Those illegally operating from the market should be identified,” shared Abhishek, another resident.
Rocky, a vendor in Sector 19, claimed, “The 13 vendors have won their case in the Supreme Court; that is why we are being allowed to operate from here. Do you think the MC would have let us run our business otherwise? As far as those sitting in the parking lot are concerned, they are registered vendors but not given viable sites.”
MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “New vending sites have been approved and these vendors will soon be shifted there.”
However, vendors allotted sites elsewhere but operating from near Sadar Bazaar, said they would not prefer to move out of their current place of operation.
