'Bill for street vendors may get passed in current session'

Union minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation Ajay Maken assured that the Street Vendors (Livelihood Protection and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill will be passed in the current session of the Parliament.

A parliamentary standing committee has tabled its report regarding the Bill in the House.

“Nearly 2.5 per cent of the city’s population will be eligible for vending licences under the upcoming legislation. It will be mandatory to form town and zonal vending committee in each and every city,” said Maken at an event organised by National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI).  

“Such committees will have 40 per cent representation from elected representatives of vendor organisations, 10 per cent from NGOs and rest will be town planners, administrators, police and elected peoples’ representatives,” he said.

Expressing concern over harassment and eviction of street vendors, he said, “Till the time the Bill comes into effect, no vendor should be evicted and displaced. The municipal bodies across all urban centres should halt their vendor eviction drives.” He urged the civic authorities to process pending vending licences to vendors who applied in 2007.