May 30, 2001

‘32’

NATIONAL GUIDELINES ON STREET VENDORS AND HAWKERS

   Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Shri Jagmohan emphasised the need for continuous dialogue among street vendors, urban local bodies, police and resident’s associations to evolve a harmonious solution to the problems of street vendors. Delivering his valedictory address at the National Workshop on Street Vendors and Hawkers, jointly organised by the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation and Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) here today, Shri Jagmohan stated that Government would positively consider the recommendations of the Workshop to draw up policies and schemes to ameliorate the conditions of vendors and hawkers. The Workshop called for setting up of a Task force to finalise the Guidelines for Street Vending. This task force will include representatives of vendors associations and urban local bodies. The meeting also urged all urban local bodies to recognise the important contribution of street vendors and to draw up policies and schemes, which will incorporate them into the urban economy and life. Noting that there has been a decrease in employment in the formal sector and that the informal sector is increasing and absorbing these retrenched workers, the Workshop pointed out that street vendors are creating their own employment through street vending without putting any burden on the Government.

    Recognising that street vendors have always been part of the Indian urban culture of public spaces and services, the Workshop added that the urban informal sector contributes significantly to the growth of the Economy. It further observed that the street vendors remain poor and illiterate and they are treated as illegal persons and also as criminals and harassed by police and municipal authorities, and excluded from all town-planning schemes.

    Therefore, with a view to bringing these one crore street vendors into the legal mainstream of the urban economy, the following recommendations were made by the Workshop:

· The policy of the urban local body should be to regulate street vending and to provide them specific places and specific time for vending. Their location and work should be regulated by a suitable mechanism recognising their role in urban life.

    · Legal Recognition of street vendors by giving them identity cards.

    · Planning guidelines of State Governments and urban local bodies to reserve certain percentage of land for street vendors in all development plans and to update existing plans.

    · Guidelines should decide number of vendors required as a percentage of population and plan the number of vendors to be accommodated accordingly.

    · Give priority to women vendors in issuing permission for hawking and vending

    · Recognise and facilitate natural markets

    · Regulate the quality of service provided by the vendors by regulating use of space as well as providing facilities for hygiene.

    · Recognising that harmonious solutions can be found by multiple use of space, flexible timings and other creative solutions such as pay and hawk, and finding many other solutions through best practices of Indian cities and abroad

    · Promote vending in smaller towns and Nagarpalikas by various on-going centrally sponsored schemes

    · Stress the importance of dialogue with mayors and chairpersons of local bodies and create a forum for discussion of issues among vendors associations, urban local bodies, police and local resident associations.

    · Setting up self-governance mechanisms such as committees and boards to work closely with the municipality to harmonise the interests of all parties – the vendors, the shopkeepers, the residents, the consumers and the traffic.

    · Setting up financing mechanisms where street vendors can pay fees for the use of space on a daily, monthly or yearly basis, which will add to the revenue of the city.

    · Once a scheme has been agreed, it should be strictly implemented and violators strictly punished. The officials responsible for implementation should be made accountable.

    · Promoting education of member street vendors about self-regulation and quality of service.

    · Promote credit schemes and micro-finance for the vendors