TIRUCHY: Even as the corporation looks to hold the election for constitution of the town vending committee (TVC) by the end of this month and thereafter regulate street vending in the city, vendors question the lack of action on shopkeepers who encroach pedestrian paths and space beside roads.
Sahul Hameed, a vendor near Chathiram Bus Stand, said, “The corporation took steps to distribute identity cards to vendors operating in the city. Once there is consensus on non-vending streets, we would avoid operating there. What about the shopkeepers encroaching upon pedestrian space on such streets or any street for that matter?
What is stopping the authorities from acting on them? It appears that the corporation is focused on making the vendors fall in line and ignore the violations by merchants.” Murugappa, another vendor at NSB Road, said, "Once in a while, the corporation undertakes drives to clear encroachments and seize materials placed on footpaths by merchants.
When the corporation demarcates streets as vending and non-vending ones, it should also make it clear that a heavy penalty would be imposed on merchants indulging in violations on non-vending streets. We are not implying that they should ignore violations on ‘vending streets’.
Our view is that officials keen on forming the TVC must not ignore the violations by merchants." Meanwhile, a senior civic body official said that some vendors have already raised the issue and added that there would likely be a discussion on it at the TVC’s first meeting.
"TVC is not a step to sideline vendors. We will definitely act on violations by merchants too, and steps will be taken to hold more inspections to stop their encroachment of footpaths an the space beside roads," the senior official said.