Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 18: Around 500 vendors of Lal Chowk were today allowed to resume their work as the Government allotted them State Road Transport Corporation yard at the city centre.
The vendors were banned by the Government to work at the busy market places as they blocked footpaths and roads in the city’s commercial centre, creating traffic jams and posing trouble to the pedestrians.
From the last two weeks, the vendors, especially around Lalchowk, were without work as they had no space to put their handcarts. However, today Lal Chowk vendors got a major relief as the Government decided to allow them to work from the SRTC yard.
The move comes after the vendors held protests forcing Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and MLA Amirakdal Syed Altaf Bukhari to intervene and rehabilitate them. This is for the first time in the last many decades that the vendors have been officially allotted space to earn livelihood.
And at the same time for the first time in recent years, pedestrians have had a free walk on footpaths in Lalchowk and other market places from the last two weeks.
The Government is planning to rehabilitate remaining vendors in two phases by the last week of May,” he said, appealing the vendors to maintain cleanliness of the allotted space.
Vendors had occupied footpaths in Lalchowk at Tyndale Biscoe School, Amirakdal Bridge, Hari Singh High Street, Maharaja Bazar, Batamaloo and other market places.
More than 2930 vendors had registered last year with the Srinagar Municipal Corporation but the municipal body had said that it will allow and rehabilitate only those vendors who are genuine after verifying the vendors.
The Commissioner SMC Bashir Ahmad Khan said on the direction of the Chief Minister all the registered vendors will be rehabilitated in the allocated spaces in the city.
“We have identified the land for the rehabilitation of the vendors. In first phase, vendors of Lalchowk have been allotted space at SRTC yard, where they will resume their work tomorrow. More space is being identified to rehabilitate remaining vendors of the city by May 28,” Khan said.
To avoid further increase and encroachment by vendors, Khan said that the registered vendors have been given a temper-proof card for their identification and authentication. “This card will have a code which only SMC knows. It will not allow unregistered vendors to operate in the footpaths and roadsides, and also the vendors will be working at the allotted spaces only. They cannot work in other places,” he said.
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