Shilli-AG Chowk heritage zone of Shimla's Mall Road is vendor-free

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 11

The town-vending committee of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has declared the heritage zone from Shilli Chowk to the Accountant General Chowk of The Mall Road and the stretch from the gate of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) to the Dental College as vendor-free zones.

The heritage zone has been declared vendor-free for hassle-free movement of pedestrians, while the latter to facilitate movement of ambulance, patients and attendants. Officials said all vendors squatting on these two sites have been evicted.

Those violating the order will be fined Rs500. Local residents have been asked to record and send a video of anyone flouting the norm in the non-vending zones. “The complainant will get Rs250 out of the Rs500 fine if the violator pays it on the spot as a reward for checking illegal vending in the city,” an SMC official said.

The SMC has allocated Rs15 crore for construction of smart shops with pre-fabricated structures for the registered tahbazaris (vendors) under the smart city project in the city.

The heavy influx of vendors, who have installed make-shift stalls along roads at many places in the city, has become a cause for concern for local residents and the civic authorities.

Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Rai said: “The town-vending committee, which has representatives of vendors and two councillors as its members, has finalised the list of 1,065 vendors. As many as 168 vendors have been registered, while the process to register and verify others is on.”

He said these 168 vendors would be allotted shops in the Ajivika Bhawan, which was under construction near the Lift. “The town-vending committee will meet soon to take up all cases of vendors for registration,” Rai said.

Meanwhile, to check hygiene of food sold by vendors, the state food safety and regulating authority is sensitising the vendors. Rai said the vendors would be allowed to sit in the vending areas finalised by the town-vending committee. “After the vendors are registered, they will get the vending certificate,” he added.

Reward for reporting violation

• Those violating the order will be fined Rs500. Local residents have been asked to record and send a video of anyone flouting the norm in the non-vending zones
• “The complainant will get Rs250 out of the Rs500 fine if the violator pays it on the spot as a reward for checking illegal vending in the city,” an SMC official said
• The Shimla Municipal Corporation has allocated Rs15 crore for construction of smart shops with pre-fabricated structures for the registered tahbazaris (vendors) under the smart city project in the city