The Hindu 01.12.2010
MCD should give more licences to street vendors: Walia
Special Correspondent
Delhi Urban Development Minister A.K. Walia
NEW DELHI: Delhi Urban Development Minister A.K. Walia on Tuesday said there was an urgent need for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to regularise nearly four to five lakh street vendors or squatters in the city to fulfil the objective of the National Policy on Urban Street Vendors, 2004, that was formulated by the Centre in view of the instructions of the Supreme Court to finalise this issue by June 30, 2011. Speaking during a short duration discussion in the Delhi Assembly, Dr. Walia said the regularisation of tehbazaris for street vendors and squatters was also essential to ensure that they are not deprived of their right to earn a livelihood.
The Minister said as per norms of the national policy over four lakh squatters can be accommodated in Delhi. “It is very strange that only 30,000 licence-holder squatters exist in Delhi. As many as 1,045 squatters were allotted sites on recommendations of Chopra Committee as per directions in Gainda Ram case,'' he said.
Dr. Walia recalled that the MCD had called for applications for allotment of street vendors/squatters licences in 2007 and received 1,31,807 applications out of which 29,000 were reserved for handicapped persons, widows and widows of deceased MCD employees and war widows. Another 16,496 persons opted for grant of hawking license.
But, he said, the MCD is still facing a lot of hurdles in allotment of sites as the number of sites identified is grossly inadequate compared to the number of applications. In addition to this Delhi Police has also not been giving its nod to identified sites.
The Minister asked the MCD to take help of Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Government in identification of sites. He also charged that a number of illegal activities have become part of MCD's working and these relate to grant of tehbazari rights and allowing construction of buildings.
Initiating the discussion, Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma said Article 19(1)(A) of the Constitution states that street vendors have right to sit at an appropriate place to earn a livelihood. Further, he said, the Union Government has also formulated a national policy for street vendors which states that 2.5 per cent of the total population can be allowed to work as street vendors.
Claiming that there was no cut-off date for consideration as street vendors, he said people running such small businesses were being harassed by both MCD and Delhi Police.
Mr. Sharma also alleged a major scam in granting of these rights and running of weekly market. While there are 268 approved weekly markets, he charged that actually this number exceeded 1,000. “In issuing of tehbazari receipts the MCD is making more than Rs.500 crore per annum,'' he said.
