Vending zones still a mirage in GHMC
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Despite issuing lakhs of identity cards, GHMC is yet to demarcate zones for hawkers and shift them
Footpath facility created by the Hyderabad Metro Rail in front of the fruit market in Kothapet presents a shabby picture these days. Pedestrians have to run hurdles to rush to the Chaitanyapuri Metro Station, in order to avoid the hawkers who set shop right along the footpath, often occupying the whole of the tiled portion.
Majority of the pedestrians take the abutting road in order to avoid getting on and off the footpaths every often.
Interestingly, most of the street vendors here have been issued identity cards by the GHMC, which authorises them for street vending. Some of them have even availed themselves of the loan facility based on their cards.
“Still, we have to continuously live in fear of the police, who show special enthusiasm in controlling us. We understand that this is not the vending zone, but we do not know where it is, and we get a lot of business here,” says K.Lakshmamma, a fruit vendor.
Despite issuing identity cards in lakhs during a campaign under the Prime Minister Street Vendors’ AtmaNirbhar Nidhi(PM SVANidhi), GHMC has not made much progress so far in demarcating vending zones for the hawkers, and shifting them there.
As per the information shared by GHMC at the time of the campaign, more than 1.62 lakh street and small time vendors had been identified under the scheme and identity cards had been issued to over 1.54 lakh vendors. However, sources say that all these vendors do not come under the vending zone policy, which is reserved for hawkers alone.
According to available information, GHMC has so far formed 30 town vending committees, and 294 common interest groups under its Street Vending policy formulated in 2016. Loans to the tune of Rs. 59.44 lakh have been sanctioned to 51 common interest groups.
Demarcation of a total of 138 vending zones has been completed, and the remaining are under progress. Training in food safety measures has been provided to 300 street vendors in coordination with the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, in 2019.
No data is available on how many street vendors have been shifted to the vending zones already identified. Officials from GHMC were not available for a comment.
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