Nagpur: The Town Vending Committee (TVC) has finally declared 47 hawking zones across the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits. It has deleted six zones from the 53 hawking zones shortlisted in 2016.
The controversial Sitabuldi Main Road remains in the list of hawking zones, while the market alongside Orange City Street and five others were deleted from the list of hawking zones. Street vendors will now be allowed to sell their wares only in these hawking zones.
Since the TVC had not notified the hawking zones for street vendors, many vendors faced action from NMC and city police during anti-encroachment drives. At the same time, these unauthorised hawkers posed obstacles in free movement of vehicles. In this background, a couple of months ago, the TVC was formed to ensure that certain places are earmarked for roadside vendors. The Maharashtra Government had formed the TVC after High Court intervention.
In the meeting held on November 28, the 47 hawking zones were finalized, said a senior official from NMC. In 2016, without forming TVC, NMC had identified 53 hawking zones. However, the traffic police had filed objections to several hawking zones, show the minutes of the TVC meeting.
“Six of the previous 53 hawking zones have been deleted and the members of the TVC have taken a unanimous decision on declaring 47 hawking zones,” said Abdul Razzaq Qureshi, hawkers’ representative and TVC member.
Only those having NMC’s vending license will be allowed to sell wares in the identified hawking zones. Though TVC has announced 47 hawking zones, NMC does not have updated data on number of hawkers in the city, said a senior official. A survey in 2016 by NMC had recorded 33,000 hawkers. However, the number of street vendors has increased significantly after Covid-19 pandemic.
Qureshi said there are currently more than a lakh vendors. The exact figure will be known only after NMC carries out a fresh survey of hawkers across corporation limits. It will be a big challenge for the civic body to accommodate such a large number of vendors in 47 hawking zones.
While determining hawking zones, TVC should have considered all 10 zones. However, the TVC deleted the only hawking zone under Laxmi Nagar Zone. With no authorised NMC market, many unauthorised markets have come up on roads in this zone, which includes Deo Nagar, Khamla, Pratap Nagar, Trimurti Nagar, Sonegaon and parts of Wardha Road.
Although the confusion over whether Sitabuldi Main Road should be made a hawking zone has been resolved, city police have proposed the hawkers be shifted to Maharajbagh Road, which Qureshi opposed.
