The city’s bustling streets are set for a significant transformation. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is implementing a new “Efficient Street Vendors Management Plan” that will ban street vending on roads that are 24 metres wide or less. This includes the CG Road and the SG Highway service roads.
The plan also prohibits vending activities within 50 to 100 metres of a traffic junction in the city. Over 62,058 street vendors, who currently occupy sidewalks, will be strategically reassigned to 437 designated streets. The aim is to create designated zones where vendors can sell their goods with proper facilities and parking spaces for them and their customers. The haphazardly parked carts selling edibles, garments, and trinkets will be relocated according to the plan.
A source in the AMC revealed, “In all, 62,058 street vendors have been registered to be provided designated spaces on 437 road stretches. The total length of these stretches in the seven zones of the city is 92.5km. Of these 62,000 odd street vendors, 54,489 are already in the process of being given designated spots. This was as per the survey conducted by the AMC two years ago. Around 10,000-12,000 vendors who were surveyed and on our list are missing and are to be placed according to the current plan.”
In May 2022, the AMC’s survey team had reported that there were 1.1 lakh street vendors before the pandemic, and the number has drastically reduced after Covid. The senior AMC source added, “A large section of street vendors had shut shop owing to multiple lockdowns during Covid. By the beginning of 2020, we had issued identity cards to 44,336 vendors.”
Of the city’s total road length of 2,600km, only 92.5km will be designated for street vendors. The AMC official added, “We will prioritize safety and traffic flow. Street vending will not be allowed within 50-100 metres of arterial roads or near hospitals. The AMC will relocate vendors to the nearest available space.” This move is expected to bring about a significant change in the city’s landscape while ensuring the livelihoods of thousands of street vendors.
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