Confusion grips city vendors

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 26: With Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania saying that a notice and a week will be given to the street vendors of the city before their eviction a sense of fear and confusion has gripped them.

“There are over 40,000 street vendors in the city and the survey of over 7,000 street vendors has been done. After the survey, 150 such vendors were given identity cards by Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC). Still there is a sense of fear of eviction lingers among us,” Atul Barman, who runs a tea stall in Panbazar area, said.

“A proposal of eight vending zones has been given to for approval, and three such vending zones of Six Mile, Bhangagarh and Panbazar have been approved,” Madan Baishya, who owns a tea stall on the foothpath of Panbazar, said.   

“The increase in the number of vendors and illegal vending in the city is creating a problem even for those who abide by the rules. The GMC should have approved all the vending zones and issued identity cards by now,” Baishya added.

Dipen Dutta, a green grocer doing business near his house in the Survey area in the city, is a confused man as he does not know if the place where sells vegetable will be a vending zone or not. He has no identity card either. He is apprehensive of the fact that in the event of eviction drive, he may lose his vending spot.