Delhi government working on policy for street vendors: AAP

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday announced that the Delhi government would introduce a “highly progressive policy” for street vendors in the city to end all extortion and corruption.
“The Delhi government is working on a highly progressive policy to address the situation and put a stop to this daily extortion by the municipal corporations and police,” claimed party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj. “All street vendors are being identified through vending committees. Work is being done to estimate the number and types of vendors all over Delhi, and the stall charges,” he said.
The government is looking for ideal locations so that vendors can continue their business without disrupting traffic or footpath movement, or encroaching upon anybody’s property, the MLA said. “This will benefit both vendors and customers.”
Under the new policy, police will enable street vendors to conduct business without any disruption, Bharadwaj pointed out. AAP will ensure street vendors aren’t extorted, he said.
The town vending committees will survey and identify street vendors by December 7 and all vendors can register themselves by then. As of September 30, 23,951 street vendors have been identified by South Delhi Municipal Corporation, 27,819 by the north corporation and 19,577 by the east corporation.
The AAP functionary said the society needed street vendors, be it for fruits/vegetables, laundry and ironing services, and so on, while the vendors also relied on customers for their livelihood. If they aren’t placed in an ideal location, it causes problems in movement, he admitted, adding that there is an urgent need to find a balance.
The deadline for the survey by the Delhi government’s town vending committees has been extended from September 30 to December 7 to include the vendors who had gone home due to Covid-19 and have returned now. “After surveying and registering all vendors, elections will be conducted among them and vending committees will be set up throughout Delhi. Following this, the procedure of allocating zones to street vendors will begin,” Bharadwaj said.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed AAP’s concern for street vendors was politically motivated.
“In the last five years, the AAP government extended no help in setting up street vendors committees. Now when civic elections are less than six months away, the party is floating schemes,” Kapoor said, adding that the corporations are already identifying street vendors and issuing them certificates. Delhi Police didn’t comment.