The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Project to rehabilitate street vendors soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Project to rehabilitate street vendors soon

Special Correspondent

Corporation to control unauthorised wayside markets

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation is working on a proposal to relocate unauthorised wayside markets to hawking zones in the city. Last week, a special squad of the corporation evicted an unauthorised market on Velu Thampi Dalava road, Kumarapuram, following complaints from the local people about the nuisance caused by the vendors.

Civic officials said wayside markets functioning at various locations in the city were found to be causing inconvenience to vehicular traffic and pedestrians. They said moves were on to identify land to set up special hawking zones equipped with basic facilities.

The proposed rehabilitation project will be based on a regulatory process to legitimise street vending as an `affordable' service for the urban population. Scheduled to be taken up with the Centre's assistance under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the project involves a multi-pronged approach for demarcation of vending zones with semi-permanent infrastructure.

Chairman of the Health standing committee G.R. Anil said moves were on to prepare a detailed project report that would be submitted to the Union Ministry of Urban Development for approval and funding. "While eviction of unauthorised markets is the responsibility of the corporation, we cannot deprive the vendors of their sole means of livelihood," he said.

It is estimated that the city has 3,700 street vendors operating from major commercial zones such as East Fort, Chalai, Manacaud, Thampanoor, Statue, Palayam, Karamana, Kesavadasapuram, Vazhuthacaud, Medical College, Ulloor and Sasthamangalam. The rehabilitation project seeks to establish a participatory mechanism with representation by vendors' organisations, voluntary agencies, civic authorities, the police and residents' associations for orderly conduct of urban vending activities in hygienic environs.

Regulation

While demarcating hawking zones, the corporation will take into account the natural propensity of the street vendors to operate from certain places at certain times in response to the pattern of demand for their goods or services. If the number of static and mobile vendors exceeds the available space, the excess will be regulated by fees or lot and not by discretionary licenses.

Certain roads or streets will be identified and declared as market place for a particular day on the lines of Sunday markets. On that day, it is proposed to block regular traffic along the road and keep the entire stretch open for trading.

The project proposes to provide hawking zones with semi-permanent structures for protection from the elements. The markets will also be equipped with facilities for solid waste disposal, public toilets, electricity, drinking water and storage. The project also proposes amendments to the Kerala Municipalities Act to ensure legal status to the street vendors and regulate them.

Last December, the district administration had mooted the idea of introducing mobile fish vending units that would minimise the problems caused by the concentration of vendors in a neighbourhood. But the proposal remained stillborn.

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