TS Govt assures HC on notifying vending zones

Hyderabad : The Telangana Government on Saturday assured the Hyderabad High Court that it would soon notify the vending zones for the street vendors. 

The State Government also informed the survey on street vendors across Telangana State was nearing completion and it would soon come up with a street vending plan. The government also told the court that so far it had identified so far 67, 313 street vendors in the state including Hyderabad. 

This was stated by Special Counsel for Government A. Sanjeev Kumar, in the affidavit filed before a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K. Vijaya Lakshmi, in response to a petition filed by G. Ganesh Singh, a road side vendor near NIMS Hospital against the authorities for not implementing the Street Vendors (Protection Of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 and the Scheme of Street Vending in Telangana notified in GO Ms No 11, dated Jan 5, 2016  in their letter and spirit. 

The government proposes to notify three categories of free vending zone, restricted vending zone and prohibited vending zones in the municipalities and corporations in the state. 

The state government had filed an affidavit in this regard to pursuant to the direction of the court in a petition by G Ganesh Singh a road side vendor near NIMS hospital in city seeking to declare the action of the authorities in not implementing the Street Vendors (Protection Of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 and the Scheme of Street Vending in Telangana notified in GO Ms No 11, dated Jan 5, 2016  in their letter and spirit and also the interference of authorities  with  his  business  being carried on the street margins as illegal. 

The counsel also informed that court that the government had issued 63,372 identity cards to street vendors across the state. He submitted that 71 petitions were filed in the court seeking to implementation of the Act 2014 and the Scheme. He said that except for GHMC, the government has constituted town vending committees in all urban local bodies in the state. 

He explained that the survey was completed in 66 urban local bodies and it was almost in the stage of completion in municipal corporations of the state and also 5 newly constituted urban local bodies. 

The HC bench told the counsel to inform the court after notification of vending zone so that it will pass appropriate orders. While directing the Registry to tag all the pending petitions with this case, the bench adjourned the matter.