Delhi government notifies rules for identifying space for vendors, hawkers

The Delhi government has notified the rules for the formation of Town Vending Committees (TVCs) across the national capital, which will identify sites and spaces for vending and hawking in the city. According to the government, the Delhi Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2017, will pave the way for constituting 25 to 28 TVCs. The notification, issued earlier this month, states that the TVCs will conduct surveys, to identify street vendors in the area and issue certificates of vending to eligible street vendors and ensure enforcement of corrective mechanism against any defiance. “The Town Vending Committees will identify sites and spaces for vending and hawking. It will also recommend to local authorities to declare an area in its jurisdiction as non-vending zone,” the notification stated. The committee will regulate timings for vending, to ensure non-congestion of public spaces. A government official said that according to the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, every state has to form TVCs to regulate street vendors. The TVCs will have the responsibility of protecting the rights of street vendors and ensuring that they are not ‘harassed’ by the authorities, the official said, requesting anonymity. “One TVC will be constituted for a group of 8-12 municipal wards each. New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board will have one TVC each,” the official said. The municipal commissioner or chief executive officers of the local authority concerned, can be the chairperson of the committee, the official added.