Bank loans continue to elude city street vendors

Hyderabad: About 40 per cent of the street vendors who have been selected for loan benefit under Pattana Pragati programme scheme launched by GHMC are still waiting for release of second and third instalments of the loan amount. The total number of registered vendors under this programme are 1.60 lakh. According to the beneficiaries, Telangana government had provided bank linkages under the scheme and the loans were to be disbursed in three instalments. These vendors told Hans India that they have been making several rounds to the banks and have requested the officials to release the second instalment as they had cleared the first instalment of loan they had taken.

As per the scheme, these vendors are given Rs 10,000 as first instalment and after they repay this amount, the banks would release second instalment of Rs 20,000 and then third instalment of Rs 30,000. They are eligible to get a total of Rs 60,000 in three instalments.  As per norms, those engaged in vending of food items including fruits, vegetables, street food, tea, goods, merchandise of daily use, etc, on footpaths and identified by GHMC are eligible to avail of the loan. Another reason for some of them not being able to avail the loan scheme was due to delay by GHMC in issuing vending cards. Officials claim that the delay was due to non-availability of vending certificates, vendors of Begum Bazar said.

The delay in release of second and third instalments of loan amount, the vendors say had resulted in several problems for them. They had borrowed money from different sources during the pandemic as they had to shut their business. They thought of repaying the loans with the loan amount and expand the fruit juice business. "But my dreams are shattered said Sridevi, a vendor in Secunderabad. She said she had repaid the first instalment of Rs 10,000 and since then has been making rounds of the banks for about six months with no result. The bank officials and GHMC officials are only giving false hopes. Sridevi is not the only one who has not got the second and third instalments. Even the street vendors whom GHMC has recognised and given identity cards have same complaint.  James John, general secretary of Greater Hyderabad National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) said he too was waiting for second instalment of loan.