Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, May 15

Finally, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has floated tenders to construct the first vending zone for street vendors in the city. A street vendors’ union had been demanding from the civic body to set up vending zones in the city for past over six years but the MC was delaying the process. The first vending zone at an estimated cost of around Rs1.21 crore would be set up near Dairy Complex on Hambran Road, Ludhiana. Under the project, the MC would construct the sheds under the street vending policy.

The provision of water supply and toilets will be ensured at the vending zone. The technical bids will be opened on June 1.

The Department of Local Government had earlier issued a notification regarding the MC’s plan to set up 64 vending zones for 8,989 vendors in the city. However, the MC needs to set up, many more vending zones in the city as a total of 21,725 street vendors were earlier identified in the city.

As per the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, the MC was supposed to ensure the provision of vending zones for the street vendors. Currently, the vendors are forced to station their carts/tables on roadsides in absence of the vending zones.

Vijay Kumar, vice president, Rehri Phari Federation, Ludhiana, said: “We have been waiting endlessly for the vending zones but the process was getting delayed. In absence of the vending zones, the street vendors face a lot of inconveniences. We want the MC and other authorities concerned to set up vending zones for all the vendors before taking any action against them. Till, the vending zones are not set up, the vendors must be allowed to station carts on roadsides.”

An official of MC said the vending zone will be set up under the MC funds. Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu could not be contacted for a comment.