Mayor, MC Commissioner hold talks with shopkeepers to regulate street vending

Amid the ongoing dispute surrounding the Sunday market at Karna Gate and Sarafa Bazar, Mayor Renu Bala Gupta and Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) Commissioner Dr Vaishali Sharma held a meeting with traders and street vendors on Monday to work towards a long-term solution. The issue, which has sparked tension for the past three weeks among the traders and street vendors, was discussed at length during the hour-long meeting.

During the meeting, Gupta directed officials to take concrete steps for regulating street vending in the market. She emphasised the need to issue licenses to the street vendors and clearly demarcate vending areas with yellow lines—set at a distance of five ft from shop shutters—by the KMC.

“The issue has come to my notice and I along with the MC Commissioner held a meeting with the street vendors and traders to find out a solution. We are not against anyone, but to set up vends in a disciplined manner. The traders and vendors have been asked to cooperate with the MC. The vends will be set up within the yellow line in the market,” said Mayor Gupta.

Both the Mayor and the Commissioner issued a stern warning to the shopkeepers and vendors not to violate MC rules.

Commissioner Sharma said that all the street vendors should have to take licenses. “We will register all the street vendors and they have to set up their vends within the limits of the yellow line. We will take action if anyone is found violating the norms,” said the Commissioner.

“The encroachment and unplanned vending cannot be tolerated. The discipline is key to a functional and pleasing market,” said Gupta. She said the vendors and the shopkeepers must strictly adhere to the designated zones and maintain order.

Both Mayor and Commissioner also warned the shopkeepers and vendors about illegal rent collection and said the vendors would not pay any money to the shopkeepers for setting up their vends. “If any vendor is found paying rent to the shopkeepers for using the MC land, strict action will be taken against both –shopkeepers and vendors,” said Gupta.

The Sunday market has become a contentious issue over the past three weeks, with the MC officials repeatedly removing stalls and confiscating vendors’ belongings. The crackdown triggered resentment among the vendors and residents, prompting political and social organisations, including the Congress and several NGOs, to raise concerns and demand a resolution.

“We had raised the voice in support of the street vendors and we welcome the step taken by the MC of allowing them to set up Sunday markets within the yellow line in a disciplined way. We also appeal to the street vendors not to violate the rules fixed by the MC,” said Gurkirat Singh, founder of Need Blessings Not Money, an NGO, working for needy patients in Karnal.

Haryana Tribune