The Dhanbad Municipal Corporation has initiated the process for rehabilitating street vendors by constructing vending zones to help more than 10,000 such traders who face a perpetual threat of eviction in the name of anti- encroachment drives.

The new vending zones that would be constructed at the three different places including the Zila Parishad ground of Dhanbad, Hirapur Hatia, and Katras Hatia would be equipped with all the basic facilities, including drinking water facilities, proper lighting arrangement, toilets and bathrooms, shades to protect against the rain water, have been planned several years ago under the National Urban Livelihood Mission of the central government.

Chandra Shekhar, City Manager of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, said, “Though several sites had been earlier identified across the district for construction of vending zones but finally after the land clearance, we have zeroed in for the three sites for vending zones for which the tender was issued today.”

“Though, the detailed project report of the vending zones of all the three sites is yet to be prepared but overall the facilities at the three proposed vending zones will be in line with National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) norms,” said Chandra Shekhar.

“The overall aim of establishing the vending zones is to provide a permanent site for trading activities to street vendors and also shield them against any displacement from one place to other by any private party or even by the police of administration under the anti encroachment drives etc” said Shekhar.

“As part of our initiative of state government initiative to provide better facilities to street vendors and shield them against any eviction we are also in process of survey to provide them QR Code based Smart Identity Cards and QR Code Certificate of Street vending as we have also provided data of around 5000 street vendor to Ritika Printech, a agency hired by the state government for issuing them Smart Identity cards and Smart Certificates,” said Chandra Shekhar.

Welcoming the DMC initiative for constructing vending zones, Sneham Sinha, district coordinator of nation NGO for street vendors-National Association for Street Vendors of India (NASVI) , said, “The long pending issue of rehabilitating the street vendors is likely to be resolved with the construction of vending as we are awaiting for construction of vending zones since 2017 when a survey of street vendors was conducted and identity cards have also provided to altogether 3879 street vendors of the district.”

“The construction of vending zones will also add a cleaner look to the city as the street vendors gathered here and there at every street corner of the district will be shifted to permanent locations where people can visit and carry out purchasing etc,” said Sinha.