To prevent street vendors from encroaching upon roads near major offices, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner Yashpal Yadav on Wednesday said that such points would be identified and offices in the area would be directed to make provisions for refreshments inside their campuses so that employees no longer have to step out onto the roads.

According to Yadav, the civic body found that a significant number of encroachments involved street vendors next to commercial offices and multinational companies. Hence, to tackle the issue, he said that private companies would be directed to make provision for food and beverages for their employees.

“If companies provide their employees with food and beverage, there will be no need for street vendors. Despite our attempts to curb encroachment, a new set of vendors inevitably replaces the ousted ones. Hence we will be reaching out to the companies for a permanent solution,” Yadav said.

MCG officials said they have set up dedicated hawking zones at several points across the city (such as in sectors 38, 47 and 50) since October 2016, and added that vendors who may be displaced following this direction could be accommodated at these zones or at the new ones the civic body is planning to establish.

Arbind Singh, national coordinator of National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), a body that safeguards the interests of vendors, said that the MCG’S decision would not impact their business.

“If the MCG mandates private companies to provide free food to its employees, then this a wel-expected come step, otherwise it is unlikely that its cost will be reasonable compared to street food. There is no guarantee that the food served would be of good quality either,” Arbind said.

Manas Fuloria, CEO of Nagarro, said, “Large companies like ours already provide food and beverage options, but our colleagues still enjoy stepping out occasionally. Smaller companies may find it challenging to provide meals and drinks every day,”

Yadav further said that he has directed officials to make Gurugram encroachment-free by February 16 and roads pothole free by February 10. These were among the several announcements made by the commissioner during a press meeting held at the MCG’S Sector 34 office on Wednesday.

“I have set a deadline to ensure the city is free of encroachment by February 16. MCG officials are to submit a report in this regard to the joint commissioners by February 20. In case encroachments are still reported by residents, then action will be taken against officials responsible for supervising the area,” Yadav said.

First Published: Feb 07, 2019 14:42 IST