Welcoming the government's move to extend the parliamentary session till September 6, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) today demanded immediate passage of a Bill, which aims at regulating street vending through demarcation of vending zones.
"The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill is listed for the current session and there should not be any further delay in passing it," NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh said.
He threatens a campaign from September 7 by the street vendors' body if the government fails to pass the Bill in the current session of Parliament.
Singh said the bill would bring succour to over 10 million street vendors who have been facing assaults of municipal bodies and police across the country.
The Bill, approved by the cabinet, states that at least 2.5 per cent of a city's population would be eligible for vending licences and it would be mandatory to form town and zonal vending committee in each and every city.
Such committees would have 40 per cent representation of elected representatives of vendor organisations, 10 per cent of NGOs and rest will include town planners, administrators, police and elected people's representatives.
The bill incorporates inclusion of vendors doing their business on railway lands. The most salient feature of the bill is its overriding effect over all state and municipal laws as well as police acts.
On July 8, a NASVI delegation had called on Union Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Girija Vyas. She had assured the delegation that the government was determined to pass the Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament.
