India: Nagar Nigam's plan for street vendors fail to materialize

KANPUR: Various plans which were proposed by the Nagar Nigam in the month of January this year did not materialize. These plans were aimed at ending overcrowding on the road. Despite the completion of four months nothing concrete has appeared on the road. However, Santosh Kumar Sharma, Nagar Ayukt, said that there was an attempt to remove the deficiencies as soon as it could possibly be done.

The Nagar Nigam assured the street vendors Dubai-type modern portable shop but it remained only an assurance. In the first phase, there was a plan to raise as many as 93 shops. In the second phase, these shops were to be allotted to the registered 14,000 street vendors. There are, according to an estimate, 17000 street vendors in the city areas. This plan was just to end the congestion problem and the regulation of the traffic. Nothing concrete has been done so far, as reports back up.

According to the plan, the vendors had to get 2 by 2 meters shop. They had to deposit a sum of Rs 95000 in accordance with this plan. This was suggested to end congestion around the Parade ground and Ursula Hospital.

In the meeting of the Street Vendors Committee, the registered vendors were also assured to get the required identity card. But no progress came on the surface. Likewise, there was also plan to arrange Chhudi Bazar at Shivala area. The scheme to build a 3-storey building in order to accommodate all these shops from this market was also not achieved.

The Mayor Pramila Pandey also planned to shift Phoolbagh Sabzi Mandi. A project in this regard was also sent to State Urban Development Agency. The shops had to be constructed near PAC Turn and Nirala Nagar. But these schemes were also not implemented.