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.