Supreme Court directs all state governments and UT administrators to ensure formation of Town Vending Committee within two months and registration of all street vendors within four months
NASVI demands of state governments and UT administrators to start working on Supreme Court’s directions
The recent legislative development in the Lok Sabha which passed the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill and the subsequent judicial pronouncements by the Supreme Court of India on 9 September, 2013 have given huge relief to the street vendors across the country and now the street vendors under the banner of National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) are demanding of the state governments and the union territory (UT) administrators to start obeying the orders of the apex court.
The Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice V. Gopala Gowda has directed all state governments and the UT administrators to ensure formation of Town Vending Committee (TVC) within two months and registration of all street vendors within four months. The direction would be binding till the enactment of the central law to protect the livelihood of street vendors.
Hailing the directions of the Supreme Court, NASVI has demanded that the state governments and the UT administrators start working immediately on the directions and ensure that the street vendors are not harassed and victimized by the municipal bodies and the police. He called upon the street vendors to get organized in large numbers for accessing their rights.
The directions of the apex court coming on 9 September reads, “Within one month from the date of receipt of copy of this order the Chief Secretaries of the State Governments and Administrators of the Union Territories shall issue necessary instructions/directions to the concerned department(s) to ensure that the Town Vending Committee is constituted at city / town level in accordance with the provisions contained in the 2009 Policy. For the cities and towns having large municipal areas, more than one Town Vending Committee may be constituted.”
The directions state, “ The task of constituting the Town Vending Committees shall be within two months of the issue of instructions by the Chief Secretaries of the State and the Administrators of the Union Territories. The Town Vending Committees shall be free to divide the municipal areas in vending / hawking zones and sub-zones and for this purpose they may take assistance of experts in the field.”
The highest judicial directs make it mandatory for all municipal bodies to complete the registration of street vendors within four months. The apex court rules, “All street vendors / hawkers shall be registered in accordance with the 2009 Policy. Once registered, the street vendor / hawker shall be entitled to operate in the area specified by the Town Vending Committee. The process of registration must be completed by the municipal authorities across the country within four months of the receipt of the direction by the Chief Secretaries of the States and Administrators of the Union Territories”.
The apex court has also ruled, “The Chief Justices of the High Courts are requested to nominate a Bench to deal with the cases filed for implementation of the 2009 Policy and disputes arising out of its implementation. The concerned Bench shall regularly monitor implementation of the 2009 Policy and the law which may be enacted by the Parliament.”
NASVI launches ‘Kanoon ko Jano, Supreme Court ke Order ko Jano, Haq aur Davedaari ka Sangharsh Tej Karo’ [ Know the Law, Know the Supreme Court Order, Intensify Struggle for Rights and Assertion] Campaign
Post- Supreme Court orders, NASVI has launched a campaign ‘Kanoon ko Jano, Supreme Court ke Order ko Jano/ Haq aur Davedaari ka Sangharsh Tej Karo’ [ Know the Law, Know the Supreme Court Order, Intensify Struggle for Rights and Assertion]. During the campaign, awareness meetings would be organized and press meets would take place in various cities. Besides, letters/memoranda would be sent to the state chief secretaries and the UT administrators demanding that they start abiding by and acting on the order of the apex court. As a part of the campaign, the first meeting of street vendor leaders took place in Delhi on 20 September. It was joined by street vendor leaders of 40 markets.
The campaign continues…..
