Demand for vending zones gets shriller

CUTTACK: The demand for setting up vending zones is gaining momentum with street vendors on Thursday staging a dharna in front of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) office.Led by Khyudra Uthadokani Mahasangha president Subash Singh, the street vendors alleged that they were being indiscriminately evicted in the name of anti-enc r o a c h m e n t d r i v e s without any alternative provision.Though the Orissa High Court has given specific directions on creation of vending zones in the city to rehabilitate the ousted street vendors, no steps have yet been initiated by the CMC.They cited instances of other cities and towns where the administration had rehabilitated the street vendors.In Bhubaneswar, the civic body set up 70 vending zones and accommodated more than 5,000 vendors.Vending zones have also been set up at Berhampur and Rourkela. But in Cuttack despite identification of at least 20 sites by the Assembly Committee for over a year now, no progress has been made.Instead, the administration is handing over land to multinational companies and big players unabashedly for construction of malls and shopping complexes. This is in gross violation of the National Policy on Street Vendors, Singh alleged.The association demanded formulation of a comprehensive policy for street vendors by the State Government on the lines of the National Policy.They have also demanded a halt to the anti-encroachment drives and displacement of street vendors until alternative arrangements are made. Land should be identified for construction of market complexes specifically for the small shop owners and vendors, they stated.