MCC tasked with identifying vending and non-vending zone for hawkers

The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has been directed to identify suitable vending and non-vending zones across all nine zones of the city to streamline street vending activity

A meeting was convened by Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar here on Saturday and attended by T.S. Srivatsa and Harish Gowda, MLAs, apart from MCC officials.

Though such hawking and non-hawking zones had been identified earlier also, they have been dubbed as unscientific. While areas were too narrow and could add to congestion, others were close to high-tension wire and hence had to be abandoned.

So the respective zonal commissioners will identify new vending zones and submit a report within 15 days. The MCC had identified 22 vending zones and 14 non-vending zones in the past and the exercise will have to be undertaken again. However, two vending zones developed by the MCC – at Udaygiri and at Ashoka Circle (Ballal Circle) – were ready and awaiting inauguration.

The MCC officials said that as per the data based on registration under PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme which provides microcredit facility for street vendors, there are about 30,000 people who have declared themselves as street vendors in Mysuru city alone.

The MCC has so far identified and issued ID cards to 3416 of them and a drive will be launched to survey the remaining and also geotag their location.

However, an official said according to Karnataka Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules 2019, they have to be residents of the State and and residing in Mysuru to avail of certain benefits and this number could be narrowed at about 15,000 vendors.

It has also been decided to develop the vending zones and identify the activity for vending apart from collecting fees from the beneficiaries as per the norms. Officials said 10 types of vending have been identified in Mysuru and the activity of the street vendors will be restricted to it.

There were also complaints of proliferation of food vendors at every nook and corner of the city and the authorities have decided to regulate such activities. Besides, there were complaints of lack of hygiene and hence the MCC will take up a drive to ascertain the adherence to standards.

T.S. Srivatsa said though the MCC has issued identity cards to street vendors, a suitable place was yet to be earmarked for them to engage in business. Hence MCC officials in charge of the zones have been tasked to identify suitable places to accommodate street vendors.

Officials who attended the meeting said emphasis was on enabling the street vendors to earn their living without they encroaching the footpath.

Meanwhile, a senior member of the street vendors committee said that there were not less than 15,000 street vendors in Mysuru and the MCC had issued identity cards to about 1,500 of them. ‘’Those who have received the ID cards were functioning within the parameters of the law but there were no restrictions on the proliferation of vendors in Mysuru some of whom were operating at prime localities,” he added.

Published - November 16, 2024 07:54 pm IST