Chennai, July 28 (BPNS)

The Greater Chennai Corporation has commenced survey of street vendors in the city to implement its vending and non-vending zone projects. Survye’s have commenced in Adayar, Perungudi, Sholinganallur and Kodambakkam zones.

However, the association of street vendors of Chennai is apprehensive over the survey of vendors without Town Vending Committees (TVC). Vendor association leaders wanted the corporation to conduct the survey after taking into confidence all sections of vendors or else there could be major protests against the same.

The street vendors are worried that the Tamil Nadu Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme and Rules is not being properly implemented during the survey as without the TVCs in place the survey cannot be properly implemented.

The TVCs have elected street vendors along with officials and these committees were acting as the first point of contact for any issues related to the vendors. However, the TVCs were dissolved after a Madras High Court ruling in a case contending non–adherence of rules while forming the TVCs.

The street vendor association leader V. Mageshvaran while speaking to media persons said that the absence of TVCs has led to a freehand for officials to take decisions and called for the constitution of the TVCs as early as possible.

The vendor association leader also said that without the TVCs being constituted the GCC must stop eviction of street vendors from any parts of Chennai city until the survey is completed and TVC is reconstituted.

The officials however said that the survey is being done only to get proper feedback on the vendors of the city and that the eviction was possible only after the sanction from the TVCs.

The street vendors association leaders also said that there would be massive protests if any evacuation is done without taking into consideration all the aspects including feedback from the grassroots and from Street vendors association leaders.