NEW DELHI: The AAP government has asked the civic bodies not to evict any street vendors during the festive season. The decision comes in the backdrop of allegations of hawkers being harassed by agencies in the wake of a Delhi high court order. Municipal authorities had carried out eviction drives after the HC on October 5 ruled that street vendors cannot sell their wares in areas identified as non-hawking zones under the earlier schemes on street vending.
Urban development minister (additional charge) Satyendar Jain issued an order on October 10 in this regard after a meeting with top officials of PWD and revenue department. “No coercive action is to be taken against petty vendors during the festive season. Principal secretary, urban development, to submit a comprehensive note detailing the response to the observations of LG and factual status regarding the town vending committees vis-a-vis the observations/directions of the HC in the pending cases of street vending,” the meeting minutes read.
On Thursday, Congress had protested against the “harassment” of hawkers at the hands of civic bodies and the police, and demanded the implementation of Street Vendors Act, 2014. The Delhi Rehri-Patri Congress chapter, led by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken, held dharnas outside all the 12 zonal offices of the municipal corporations and the headquarters of NDMC. Maken, who attended the demonstrations at Civil Lines, Green Park, Rajouri Garden and other places, accused the various agencies of harassing street vendors and illegally evicting them.