Chennai Corporation organises camps till Feb 28 for over 6,000 street vendors to collect ID cards

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has been conducting camps for street vendors to get ID cards at the respective ward offices under each zone until February 28.

GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran stated that if the vendors failed to get their cards, their license as a vendor would be cancelled.

“To improve the livelihood of street vendors and regulate their sales, a street vending committee has been formed and is functioning in the capital city. To regulate the sales of street vendors within the Corporation limit, a new ID card with a chip-based QR code and web link feature will be provided. During a meeting held on January 24, it was decided to provide them for the remaining vendors who have already registered with GCC,” explained the commissioner.

From January 27 to February 15, these cards were distributed at the ward offices of respective zones. As of February 13 (Thursday), 4,253 ID cards were distributed, bringing the total number of distributed cards to 24,573. For the remaining 6,567 cards, a special camp has been organised at the respective ward offices from February 16-28. Any street vendor who does not collect his/her ID card by the last date will have their card cancelled.

“Street vendors are requested to return the old ID cards, and obtain the new ones through OTP verification at these special camps,” added Kumaragurubaran.

Meanwhile, ward councillors raised their concerns at the recent council meeting to include them as a member of the street vending committee, as they were aware of the zones of vending and non-vending. They also pointed out that it would help higher authorities to evict unauthorised vendors on the roadside.