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Harshraj Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, September 12
In a violation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, the state’s biggest MC has failed to set up even a single vending zone for streets vendors.
Instead of ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Act, the MC has increased the composition fee, which is charged from the street vendors for stationing carts at various locations in the city.
Accusing the civic body of delaying the process to setting up of vending zones for them, street vendors opposed the hike.
The MC has increased the composition fee from Rs 800 to Rs 1,500 for a small cart/stall (without roof) and from Rs 1,600 to Rs 3,000 for a cart/stall with roof.
Infuriated over the MC’s decision, members of the Rehri Phari Federation announced not to pay any fee to the civic body for now and demanded rollback of the decision.
In the absence of any designated place provided by the MC, thousands of the vendors are forced to encroach and then they station their carts to sell their goods to meet their daily needs.
According to the Act, the MC is supposed to set up vending zones for street vendors, but the project has been hanging fire due to lack of interest shown by the authorities concerned in the past five years.
“Taking advantage of our problem, the cash-strapped MC collects composition fee from us. If we refuse to pay, the tehbazari staff start lifting our carts and weighing machines. If we don’t station our cart to sell articles, how will we earn and run our family. It is total injustice that the composition fee has been increased. If the MC has to improve its financial condition, it must find out other sources, instead of putting burden on poor vendors,” said a vendor, who visited Circuit House to attend a meeting of street vendors.
According to sources, there are more than 21,000 street vendors in the city while the civic body aims to collect crores from the vendors in the name of composition fee.
President of the Ludhiana Rehri Phari Federation, Tiger Singh, said, “We sought from the MC authorities to reduce the composition fee. If they don’t reduce it within one week, we will stage an agitation. Instead of increasing the fee, the MC should set up vending zones for the street vendors. Staff of MC had visited various locations to charge fee from vendors, but the latter refused to pay today.”
“After introducing the Act in 2014, the Central government had asked the state governments to ensure its implementation within a year, but no vending zone has been set up till date. As per the Act, a town vending committee has been formed, but it is ignored,” he claimed.
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