HYDERABAD: Prominent places and markets across the State where street vendors have been carrying out business activities for over 50 years would soon be declared as natural and heritage markets and the vendors in such markets would not be relocated. The State government has asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Secunderabad Cantonment Board and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to submit a list of such markets and to take necessary steps to notify them as natural and heritage markets.
Places such as Sultan Bazar, Charminar, Monda Market, Secunderabad, Badi Chowdi, Koti etc are some of markets in the twin cities where street vendors have been doing business for the past 50 years. As of date, no ULB, including the GHMC, has notified natural or heritage markets. As per the “Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, “natural markets where street vendors have conducted business for over 50 years shall be declared heritage markets, and the street vendors in such markets shall not be relocated”.
The Telangana Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (TSMEPMA), a wing of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), has asked the civic bodies to submit a list of such markets to facilitate a notification at the earliest, sources told Express.
Telangana Street Vendors and Hawkers Union president S Venkat Mohan told Express that such a notification would reduce harassment of poor street vendors as they would not be evicted or relocated from their place of business. “Also, this would pave the way for them to get required infrastructure facilities like sheds, power, drinking water and toilets etc.,” Venkat Mohan said.
Meanwhile, the guidelines for PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme, a special micro-credit facility launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, for providing loans to street vendors, has been revised. The scheme is now available to all street vendors engaged in vending in urban areas.