In search of livelihood, number of street vendors increasing by leaps and bounds in Imphal
State Govt sleeps over National policy, yet to formulate its own
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 23 2013: Despite several efforts taken up by the Government to drive away street vendors from Khwairamband market, the number of street vendors has been only increasing in the absence of a proper policy to deal with the issue.

Some people have even started asking openly if some security personnel are allowing the street vendors to ply their trade inside Khwairamband market after taking money on daily basis.

People have seen police scattering merchandise, baton charging and pulling up street vendors together with their merchandise in an effort to drive away vendors from the busy streets and lanes of Khwairamband market.

About 18 months back, the State Government came up with an arrangement where all street vendors of Khwairamband market were given space for their trade at Lamphel Sana Keithel.

But today, there are very few vendors at Lamphel Sana Keithel.

Street vendors selling their wares just beyond the footpath at Khwairamband Keithel

Notably, the issue of street vendors has already evolved into a national issue.

Taking due note of the same issue, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation formulated the National Policy for Urban Street Vendors in 2009 .

However, the State Government has done nothing so far either to implement the National policy nor formulate an appropriate policy of its own to address the issue of street vendors systematically.

According to a random survey conducted by The Sangai Express in Khwairamband market, there were indicative signs of some police personnel on duty at the market taking money from street vendors for allowing them to ply their trade on the busy streets and lanes.

Apart from women and men selling vegetables, cereals and pulses, large shops are also selling clothes and other items after laying them out on the streets.

They said that security forces normally prohibit selling goods on the roads.

But no harm was done to them if they offer certain amount of money to the security personnel on duty.

But the vendors have also been enduring a constant headache for one team of security personnel would come and demand money after another team had taken money and just left.

At the rate of Rs 10 per police team/personnel, each vendor has to spend Rs 80 to Rs 100 to bribe security personnel.

Some vegetable vendors too disclosed that they have to pay money to the staff of a Security every day so that they can do business on the streets.

While some vendors readily pay money to security personnel, other do not.

The second group would not unpack their goods and they simply stay away from the streets when security personnel are around.

But they come to the streets, unpack their goods and start the day's business on the streets once the security personnel have gone away.

According to the street vendors, vendor plots allotted inside the three market complexes are permanent for the licences are transferred from the licensees to their daughters and daughters-in-law after they expired.

Some others sell out their licences but it cost more than Rs 50,000 just for one plot.

Pointing out that the, first floors of all the three market complexes are totally vacant, the street vendors questioned as to why the Government is not allowing them to do their business on the vacant first floors.

Asserting that the Government's attitude goes against the interest of poor people, they claimed they would continue to do their trade on the streets despite all the efforts of the Government to shoo them away.

Saying that most of the street vendors have been struggling for a square meal a day, one of them urged the Government not to treat street vendors differentially.