The City Municipality will issue identity cards to street vendors with the objective of ensuring their welfare and protecting their rights.

Kolar has around 486 street vendors and the identity cards would be issued to 300 of them in the first phase. The officials of the City Municipality have already collected the personal details and photographs of these street vendors. There were reports that the police were harassing street vendors and were demanding money from them under the threat of eviction. Similarly, the contractors in charge of collecting market cess too were reportedly demanding more money from street vendors. The City Municipality has taken up the task of issuing identity cards to street vendors to prevent their harassment. The initiative has been taken up towards the attempts for implementing The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.

The identity card has details such as name of the street vendor, his place of business, nature of business, mobile number and details of voters identity card. The street vendors will have to carry out their business at the place mentioned in the identity card.

Committee formed

City Municipal Council President B M Mubarak said that the identity cards are being issued under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission. “The cards will be issued free of charge on Wednesday. A committee has been formed to protect the interest of the street vendors. This committee will met once every two months to discuss their problems,” he said.

The committee comprises municipal officials, representatives of street vendors’ association and police officials. A separate place in the City will be designated for street vendors in about one and half month. It has also been decided to extend a financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to each of the street vendors, he said.

The CMC president said that the street vendors possessing identity cards can avail loans from banks. With the ID cards, they could also get rid of the harassment by market cess collectors and police. It would also help the municipality in curbing the traffic problem caused by street vendors.