Indain Express 03.03.2010
AMC proposes new restrictions on hawking in heritage zones
Express News Service Tags : corporation, cept, heritage zones Posted: Wednesday, Mar 03, 2010 at 0348 hrs
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in consultation with the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) has proposed restrictions on hawking within 200-metre radius of heritage zones. If not otherwise notified, the restriction would result in ouster of hawkers from the entire walled city.
When asked about this, Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam said the restrictions would apply only to national monuments and that too only in those cases where monuments are notified as heritage zones. “Our objective is to reduce congestion but not by throwing the hawkers out of business. So we will allow them in certain areas to do business for a limited time,” he said.
The AMC standing committee has already approved the proposal for vending zones during its meetings last week. Accordingly, the areas are named as red, green and amber zones besides heritage zones. Initially, five city wards have been selected for this.
According to senior civic officials no vending in major commercial and heavy traffic zones will be allowed under the new draft policy taking shape at the AMC following the Gujarat High Court order last week to expedite the process.
The draft policy suggests that no vendors be permitted within 200 radius of heritage sites, roads wider than 30 metres and places of heavy traffic.
At present, there are no heritage zones in the city, according to Deputy Municipal Commissioner I K Patel.
As per the new draft, all the vendors doing business currently in the area from Bhadra Fort to Rani Hazira in Manek Chowk –area identified as red zone – will have to be removed and no new permission to set up kiosks or any other structure will be given when the new policy comes in force.
In areas identified as green zone, vending will be allowed without permission. Residential localities and roads not wider than 15 metre will be declared as green zones and vending will be permitted between 7 am and 9 pm.
In the amber zone, conditional vending will be allowed subject to prior permission. The area includes roads wider than 15 metres. Here vending will be possible on specified days and time after obtaining permission from civic authorities. The vending activity in amber zones will be permitted during 6 am to 9 am and from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Sale of all things other than prohibited ones will be allowed in institutional zones from 7 am to 7 pm. According to the draft, vending will be allowed beyond the 200-metre radius area in heritage zones from 7 am to 7 pm.
Vendors will be required to obtain licences from city civic centres on production of voter ID and they will have to cover their wares while passing from red zones or other prohibited areas. The vendors will have to display the hawking permit in the front portion of their carts.
