Allotted booths by MC, vendors in Solan continue trade by roadside

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 16

Street vendors continue to operate at the roadsides in various parts of Solan town even though they have been allotted booths in the vendor market in Saproon. This has defeated the very purpose of setting up a dedicated market at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore to relocate them.

Besides showing the lackadaisical approach of the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC), the issue also highlights poor regulatory control over roadside encroachment in the city.

As per street vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, the MC is supposed to regulate the operations of vendors. The setting up of the dedicated market was a step in that direction. It is aimed at checking traffic problems caused to commuters by street vendors.

Taking a stern view of the alleged lackadaisical approach of the civic body in making the vendor market functional in the last four months, Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma has directed the Solan Municipal Corporationto complete the task by April 20.

“With the street vendors continuing to set up stalls on the roadside even after the allotment of booths, the very purpose of setting up this market has been defeated,” said Sharma.

Since the high court has also directed the district administration to rid the highways of encroachments before April 23, the DC has constituted a committee — headed by the SDM and comprising Regional Transport Officer, MC Assistant Engineer and a police official — to complete the task by April 20. The vendors who have been allotted the booths would need to get power and water connections.

At present, there are 64 street vendors operating from roadside at various places like Saproon, old bus stand, Chowk Bazaar etc.

Applications were invited by the MC from vendors who wanted booths allotted. The applicants were scrutinised to ensure that they did not have dues payable to the civic body.

Making the vendor market functional, it seems, has become a herculean task for the municipal corporation.

The allotment process had been delayed since 2021. The authorities had to wait for nearly three years to set the booth allotment process rolling as the civic body did not have the ownership of the land. The land in question belonged to the erstwhile Department of Mandis, which existed when Solan was a princely state.

Barring this land, all such areas come under the ambit of the HP New Mandi Townships (Development and Regulations) Act, 1973. The MC officials took up the matter with the state government and managed to get the land ownership in 2023. This paved the way for the allotment of the booths in December last year.

64 street vendors operating

• As per the street vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, the MC is supposed to regulate the operations of vendors. The setting up of the dedicated market was a step in that direction
• Taking a stern view of the lackadaisical approach of the civic body in making the vendor market functional in the last four months, Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma has directed the MC to complete the task by April 20
• At present, there are 64 street vendors operating from the roadside at various places like Saproon, old bus stand, Chowk Bazaar etc. Applications were invited by the MC from vendors for allotment of booths. The applicants were scrutinised to ensure that they did not have dues payable to the civic body

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