The Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC) is conducting a survey of street vendors across 55 wards spread over five circles, Dhanbad, Jharia, Sindri, Katras and Chhatatand, to provide the benefits of welfare schemes to a maximum number of vendors.

The move is also aimed at providing loans of Rs 10,000 each under the PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi).

Eleven teams, comprising town administrators, supervisors and self-help group members have been constituted to carry out the survey in different areas.

The city mission manager of the National Urban Livelihood Programme of Dhanbad, Santosh Singh said, “The mid-term survey is aimed at including such persons who were left out in the 2017 survey.”

“We are also carrying out a simultaneous survey for the loans scheme,” said Singh.

The survey is likely to be completed by Thursday.

The street vendors who face continuous eviction in the name of road beautification without proper rehabilitation and face inconvenience due to a lack of vending zones, however termed the recent survey as mere eyewash.

Sanjeev Singh, who sells newspapers, magazines, and competitive exam books on the Dhanbad station road said, “Even the 3,978 registered vendors, including me, who had been provided identity cards following the 217 survey are yet to get any benefits. We have even been evicted from one place to place during drives conducted by the railway administration. What use is a survey?”

Singh, who is also the member of the town-vending committee constituted by the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, alleged, “Even the meetings of the town-vending committee, meant to take place every six months, have not been held for more than a year.”

“Vending zones are the first requirement to ensure the livelihood of vendors, otherwise no effort to provide loans will prove to be of any benefits,” he added.

In 2018, the DMC identified 12 sites to develop vending zones, at Hirapur Hatia, vacant land near the labour department office at Bartand, government land near the water tower in Purana Bazar area of Bank More, government land near steel gate, land near the vegetable market at Jagjivan Nagar, land near the Bihari Lal Chaudhary shop in Kendua, land near Surya Mandir, Katras, near flour mill in Putki, near Raj Ground in Jharia, land near compactor station of Jharia, near Durga Mandir in Jamadoba Jharia and the Ganesh Puja ground near Digwadih.

However, it failed to get no-objection certificates from the respective departments.

Finally, four sites, including one each at Bazar Samiti Jharia, Bazar Samiti, Jamadoba, Baniahir Ground and Hirapur Hatia were selected.

Construction began at one of the zones at Baniahir in Jharia but could not be completed due to some dispute with the local residents.

The city mission manager said, “Our immediate priority is the completion of a mid-term survey and we will concentrate on vending-zone construction after completion of the survey.”