The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has constituted the GHMC Town Vending Committee in accordance with the provisions of National Policy on Urban Street Vendors, 2009, said GHMC commissioner, Somesh Kumar.
The committee comprises of 12 government officials, 24 members from associations of street vendors, 12 members from residential welfare associations and community-based organisations and 12 members from other civil society organisations. The committee be in force till March 31, 2014 or further orders, added the commissioner.
Speaking to reporters after the Prajavani programme, he said that a large number of vendors had gathered at the GHMC head office on Monday with a request to register them as licensed vendors. The policy is to protect vendors from harassment, issuing identity cards along with a with few restrictions such as allowing them to sell their products in certain places.
The commissioner is hopeful that the orders issued by the state government recently will definitely help vendors, and the city will also become orderly with space for commuters on roads and footpaths.
On the pending Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS) cases, he said that nearly 4,000 cases are with the GHMC and expressed confidence that they will be settled before December 31. He further said that the House Numbering Cell of the GHMC will be strengthened with 430 polytechnic students taken on internship basis to number the streets by defining the locality later to simplify house numbering in GHMC limits. He said that the process would be completed within 3 to 4 months by taking it on a project mode.
The commissioner said that the GHMC has identified certain locations where large number of people gather for work or near a hospital. He directed the officials, concerned authorities to take up temporary structures to accommodate people at night in the next 10 to 15 days by erecting temporary night-shelters to protect from chilly weather.
During the Prajavani, as many as 51 grievances pertaining to various subjects were received.