Town vending zones in Chennai dissolved post HC order

CHENNAI: Following an order of Madras High Court, the Greater Chennai Corporation has dissolved town vending committees that were constituted in 2018 to regulate street vending across the city.

"The court has ordered to dissolve the committees and reconstitute as a vendors approached the court citing violation of norms while forming the committees. Measures have been taken to reconstitute the committees," an official said.

In order to regulate the street vending across the city as per the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulations of Street Vending) Act, 2014. The committees were formed in all the 15 zones with officials from Chennai Corporation, police department and street vendors who were elected through elections. Executive engineers of concerned zones were appointed as chairmen.

However, some vendors approached the court citing the committees were not formed as per the rules as the Act mandates Commissioners of concerned Municipal Corporations should be act as the chairman of the committees.

The important function of the committees are to identify and approve vending and non vending zones in the city. Also, new street vendors should get approval from the committees to start selling.

Presently, the civic body has given identity cards as per the Act to more than 23,000 street vendors, who will only be allowed for vending. On the other hand, the civic body has recently commenced fresh enumeration of street vendors who are left out during the earlier enumeration as the officials expect more than 1 lakh street vendors in the city.

"We have already identified vending zones and non vending zones based on the present number of vendors. Once the new enumeration is completed, more vending zones will be allowed," the official said.

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