As a measure to improve the lot of street vendors, Madurai Corporation has planned to provide mobile vending carts to 1,243 vendors at three spots in the city.
The project, which aims to support urban street vendors, will be executed under National Urban Livelihood Mission. Corporation officials said that administrative sanction had been obtained for the project and tenders called for.
Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan said that recently ₹6.78 crore was sanctioned for the project by the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration.
“After Chennai, Madurai is the second urban civic body in the State to have received the funds for the project,” he said.
Of the total 1,243 vendors, 390 have been chosen from East Chithirai Street, 354 from Thalavai Street and 499 from T.P.K. Road.
Assistant City Health Officer S. Vinoth Raja said that all the vendors on these streets, with an identity card, have been chosen under the project. “These streets, which are usually thronged by shoppers, were chosen based on a survey,” he said.
He said that each cart will have a shed and multiple provisions to store the products. “We have also proposed to have two bins in each cart, so that the vendors can segregate waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste and dump them into the bins,” he said.
Explaining the importance of the project, the Commissioner said that this project will help the street vendors to carry out their business irrespective of weather conditions.
“These vending carts will help in streamlining the vendors and it will be easier for the civic body to regulate them. These uniform carts will take up less space and hence will help in reducing traffic congestion on roads. It will also improve hygiene of food sold by the street vendors ,” he said.