MC gives one last chance to vendors to get registered

Ludhiana: Before moving ahead with their plan of having vending zones, the MC has given a last chance to the vendors to get themselves registered with the civic body by the end of this month.
The officials claimed that they had given them a chance earlier also but vendors did not come forward for the same. However, the officials are silent about those vendors who have gone to their native place during lockdown, whether they will be given a chance once they will return or not.
As of now, only 8,500 street vendors are registered with the civic body and that too when MC officials made them register forcefully. The civic body had conducted a survey in the city in which 21,000 street vendors were identified and all vendors who sell anything on roadsides were included in the list. The survey took a long time and for over two years the tussle has been going on finalising the vending zones because earlier these zones were identified but were rejected by traffic police department. The sites were identified again and these total around 100.
The officials claimed that due to lockdown the entire process stopped in between and now they have again resumed the ongoing process. Initially, they had registered 4,000 vendors after organising camps and then they increased the number to 8,500 but still many were left.
Zonal commissioner Neeraj Jain said, “The vendors who were included in that survey but could not get them registered have one final chance. We will register the vendors till June end.” He said they would issue identity cards to the vendors when they would be registered and on the basis of this vending zones would be developed. However, regarding vendors who have left the city, he said they would keep option in the policy and if their names were in this survey list then they would be considered once they return to the city.
The matter of vending zones has been pending for almost 10 years but for two years the process had been put in the fast lane. Before lockdown a special drive was kicked off jointly by the MC and police against temporary encroachments and roadside vendors creating obstacle ins traffic. But due to lockdown the process was stopped.