Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Nearly 300 women turned up at NDMC’s Convention Centre on Thursday from Sarojini Nagar, Trilokpuri, Madanpur Khadar, Rohini, India Gate and Harkesh Nagar in response to a call by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI). While the world marked May 1 as International Labour Day to honour workers, this gathering met to observe the 11th anniversary of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 — and to ask questions.
Before the event started, snatches of conversation filled the room about evictions, vending certificates, hawking zones, microloans and much more. But one common anxiety loomed over all: “Kab rehri utha lenge, pata hi nahi chalta (We don’t know when they will seize our vends.” Nazma, 49, sold crisps, namkeen and sweets near Max Hospital and RG Square Mall. “There were dozens of us. Then one day, after a scuffle, we were told not to put up our stalls for two days. That turned into a week. It’s 11 months now,” she said. “I have this vending certificate but what’s the point if there’s no vending zone? Ghar chalana mushkil ho gaya hai.”
Rani, another vendor, recounted how her stall was demolished in the runup to the G20 Summit in 2023. “I sold chips on Mathura Road. I’m a single mother and want to educate my kids. But higher education? Not possible. Where will the money come from? At present, I just sneak by with a stall near my house and manage somehow. I have a vending certificate but it hasn’t got me anything.”
The anniversary of the legislation was almost forgotten in the airing of grievances and lived experiences — from fresh vending surveys and harassment allegations to hawking zones and town vending committees. Kanchan, 45, who sold samosas and jalebis at Sarojini Nagar Market, muttered, “Kisi din adhikariyo, kisi din police. People say we block footpaths, but how can we feed the mouths if we aren’t given any space?”
Even those with designated vending zones have found the ground reality. Lipi, in her forties, who ran a cold drink stall near India Gate, said, “First, we had no zone. Now we have, but it’s the same. We bring items to sell and half are confiscated by the authorities. What’s the point?”
Speaking on behalf of the vendors, Arbind Singh, national coordinator, NASVI, said, “The street vendors are called encroachers when they don’t sit at their designated places. But what if they haven’t been given any place at all? Recognition through the Street Vendors Act was a milestone, but implementation is where the real work lies.”
A fresh survey of street vendors is under way. Around 75,000 street vendors were identified in a 2022 survey, but NASVI and other vendor bodies estimate the actual number in Delhi to be over five lakh.
The women submitted a 10-point charter of demands, among them being inclusion in the ongoing vending survey, designation of vending zones by MCD, access to clean toilets and water, protection from police harassment, financial support through e-cards and banking linkages, representation in Town Vending Committees and recognition of thee right to work with dignity and safety.
Also present were Gavali Parag Harshad (Union ministry of urban affairs), Ashwini Lal (office of development commissioner, MSME), Dr Debolina Kundu (National Institute of Urban Affairs), Delina Khongdup (National Commission for Women), Neeraj Kumar (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), Anil Chopra (Wingify Foundation) and Dr Taruna Saxena (Nestlé India).
Mayank Rawat
