Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is leading in the country in implementing Street Vending Policy under the Livelihoods Regulation Act, 2014 announced by the Centre.

The Act was introduced to let small and petty traders carry on their business on footpaths and push carts without creating any hurdles for the traffic and the pedestrians and eke their living in the places earmarked for them.

Identity cards

The GHMC through its Urban Poverty Alleviation wing conducted a survey and identified 26,891 street vendors and gave identity cards so far to 19,369 vendors.

It also extended special training to 4,741 small traders to improve their financial discipline and organised 384 groups.

This effort by the Urban Community Development wing made the GHMC leading corporation in this aspect, according to a release.

Vending zones

The UCD also categorised 81 zones as prohibited, partial and free-vending zones so far and the process to earmark such vending zones in all areas across the city was under process through a survey, the release said.

The GHMC has been successful in implementing the Street Vending Policy with the coordination of traffic wing, revenue and labour departments and also local people’s representatives, the release added. Under the street vending policy, financial assistance would also be extended to the street vendors and improve their living standards.

Groups formed

Along with street vendors, common interest groups were also created for the protection of livelihood of street vendors as well as not to create any inconvenience to the citizens.

In every Circle level, Town Vending Committees would be constituted and these committees would have 20% government officers, 40% street vendors and 20% members of social organisations.

The areas prohibiting street vending were identified as red zone, areas earmarked for vending as green zone and the areas where street transactions were permitted in a limited way were referred to as special zones. The UCD has been issuing identity cards to street vendors carrying on their trade in these zones, the release added.