Licensed shopkeepers pay for all utility services like taxes, electricity rentals, etc. In contrast, illegal street vendors conduct a thriving business without incurring any expenses.
STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati: The growing presence of unregulated street vendors across major roads and commercial areas of Guwahati continues to trigger concerns over traffic congestion, pedestrians’ safety and the effectiveness of the civic administration in Guwahati, besides putting the authorized traders in markets in unfair competition.
Unregulated roadside vendors continue to occupy several important stretches of road in Guwahati, including Ganeshguri, GS Road, VIP Road, Beltola, Six Mile and Khanapara. Residents and business owners allege that footpaths and road margins in several areas have virtually turned into informal marketplaces, severely affecting traffic flow and causing inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians alike.
The situation is quite visible along the Rukminigaon to Khanapara corridor, where locals claim that large portions of public roads and footpaths have been occupied by roadside vendors. Citizens question: Why cannot the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and other departments concerned enforce proper monitoring and verification mechanisms for such unregulated vendors in the city?
Yet another dimension of the problem that affects many established traders running businesses in authorised commercial market complexes is the unfair competition they face from unregulated vendors who don’t have to pay for any of the utility services. Authorized shop owners alleged that while they pay rent, electricity bills, taxes, trade fees, etc., the illegal roadside vendors continue to grab profits without paying anything in return to the administration.
“The civic body carries out eviction drives occasionally, but the vendors return to their chosen spots within days. They have no permanent policy or strong enforcement on the ground for vending,” said a trader from Beltola.
Most illegal vendors occupying streets are not part of the greater Assamese society; this fact is now widely known. Their conversations with buyers clearly indicate that they do not belong to the greater Assamese society. Some of them even refuse to speak in Assamese.
The GMC, district administration, and city police must come together to find a permanent solution rather than temporarily evicting vendors from one area to another. They should implement a policy that permanently eliminates unauthorised vendors from Guwahati’s roads and streets.
Circles concerned suggest that the civic and police authorities of Guwahati should draw inspiration from their counterparts in Shillong. Police Bazar in Shillong is an example where the authorities shifted illegal roadside vendors to organised, designated spaces under a properly regulated system.
Residents and traders demand the strictest action against illegal encroachments alongside a structured rehabilitation policy to protect legitimate shop owners from any unfair competition and restore pedestrians’ spaces on roads and streets to ensure improved urban management in Guwahati.
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