Ludhiana, April 16
Despite repeated demands by a street vendors’ union, the Municipal Corporation (MC) is delaying the process to set up vending zones for the vendors in the city.
Tiger Singh, secretary, north unit of the National Association of Street Vendors (NASVI), said the civic body was yet to set up vending zones for the street vendors.
He alleged: “The vendors are forced to suffer due to action taken against them by the MC and the police. Instead of setting up the vending zones as per law, the MC and the police are taking action against the vendors who are already facing financial problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“We demand from the government to issue directions to the police and the MC to stop removing carts of the vendors from various areas till the vending zones are not set up,” he said.
Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said he had given directions to the staff concerned to shift the registered street vendors at sites that had been identified for vending zones. Till the vending zones were not set up, no fee should be collected from the vendors to run their business at identified sites.
Meanwhile, NASVI members said they had also written a letter to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh recently regarding other issues being faced by the vendors.
“We are getting reports of undue restrictions, harassment, and even heavy fines imposed on the street vendors in the state. We have requested the CM to allow all street vendors having identity cards, certificates of vendin and those who have taken a loan under the scheme, PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi, to do vending with the safety norms,” said Arbind Singh, national co-ordinator of NASVI.
He said: “Night curfew should be imposed from 10 pm. At many places, the police start removing vendors from the evening itself. How can the evening vendors survive?”
They also demanded that the street vendors must be vaccinated on a priority basis. The corporation must come forward and provide them emergency ration and safety kits containing masks, sanitisers, etc. — TNS
