STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Guwahati continues to grapple with widespread footpath and road encroachments by street vendors despite repeated eviction drives and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation's (GMC) plans to establish designated vending zones.
Pedestrians across busy commercial areas are often forced to walk on roads to avoid roadside stalls, vending carts and parked vehicles. The absence of a sustainable street vending management system has allowed encroachments to return soon after eviction operations.
The GMC has acknowledged that its enforcement capacity remains limited. In November 2025, a senior official said the corporation had around 150 municipal officers, an insufficient number to monitor the sprawling city. The civic body had also recruited 60 additional personnel to strengthen enforcement.
However, the corporation admitted that eviction drives alone could not resolve the issue, as vendors often returned to busy locations after their carts were confiscated. It maintained that establishing suitable vending zones was essential to finding a lasting solution.
According to the GMC, a survey identified 7,182 street vendors. In 2024, the corporation notified 81 vending zones across 41 of Guwahati's 60 municipal wards, aiming to accommodate more than 6,000 vendors. These included 75 free-vending zones, three mobile-food vending zones, two time-vending zones and one fruit-vending zone.
The GMC had planned to make all 81 zones operational in 2025 and accommodate vendors in phases. However, reports in September 2026 indicated that the process remained incomplete. The corporation later said it had launched a fresh survey after identifying discrepancies in the earlier vendor count, while a shortage of suitable land continued to hamper implementation.
Although vending zones have reportedly been completed at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Bhangagarh and Six Mile, the broader plan has yet to deliver the intended results across the city.
The All Assam Street Vendors Association has also raised concerns over whether the proposed vending spaces would offer vendors the same customer access and business opportunities as their existing roadside locations.
The GMC faces the twin challenge of reclaiming public spaces and providing vendors with viable alternatives. Until the designated zones become fully operational, Guwahati risks remaining caught in a cycle of eviction drives, temporary clearance and renewed encroachment, leaving pedestrians without accessible footpaths.