Footpaths, y, vending zones!

GUWAHATI, Dec 2: Strangers may get confused with the scene at Ganeshguri in Guwahati – to ascertain if the ways pedestrians walk on there are actually footpaths or vending zones. People can walk on vending zones for buying goods, but vendors cannot do their business on footpaths. Who is there to make this known to vendors, if GMC fails to get it done?

The worst affected in the civic quagmire in the metropolitan city, tagged as a smart city, are pedestrians. They hardly get space to walk on while doing their daily chores. There are also incidents when they have to engage themselves in hot altercation with vendors for space. They have to negotiate while making every step on footpaths. 

Makeshift shops set up by vendors selling jewelry, garments and shoes on the footpaths are major impediments for pedestrians.  A traffic police constable on duty said that GMC should be tough on vendors. “The footpaths wear a chaotic scene, leading to traffic srls at Ganeshguri every now and then. The footpaths don’t look like footpaths. They are real havens for vendors,” he said.

Speaking to The Sentinel, a resident of Ganesghuri said: “This is not the picture of this locality alone. Half of the city’s footpaths are facing the same problem. The department concerned should take necessary steps against vendors who’ve been taking the advantage of an administration without grit. We’ve reasons to believe that there are some employees of the civic body who’re hand in gloves with vendors, allowing the latter to go ahead with their business.” A top-level source that has much to do with activities if the civic body, when asked on the chaotic situation at Ganeshguri, said: “We’ve been fed-up with vendors. We simply can’t get rid of them. They appear on footpaths within a few days after their eviction. We do charge fine from them, but nothing seems to work to get rid of the mece.”