Street vendors in Bhopal continue to face eviction despite paying tehbazari, the municipal hawker fee. Their daily struggle raises questions about the government’s commitment to their rights and the effectiveness of policies meant to protect them.
In 2023, the then Chief Minister abolished the tehbazari system, bringing hope to thousands of street vendors, hawkers, and handcart pushers who had long suffered harassment under the system, which required them to pay a fixed amount for registration to avoid eviction.
Apart from the rollback of tehbazari, the government had also spoken of creating designated vending zones where vendors could conduct business without fear of removal.
The promises, however, rang hollow in March last year, when the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) reinstated tehbazari, requiring vendors to pay a daily fee of Rs 20 to Rs 30. With their receipts in hand, street vendors set up their carts and stalls across the city, only to be driven away later by municipal officials. The primary reason cited for these evictions is traffic congestion, as stalls and carts on busy roads slow down the movement of vehicles. Municipal staff often seize goods to clear these areas, leaving vendors helpless.
City Mission Manager Shweta Sahu stated that a total of 80,826 street vendors have been registered and issued ID cards. These cards permit them to sell goods while moving around the city, but they are not allowed to stay in one place for more than three minutes. If they do, the municipal corporation is authorised to take action against them.
The eviction of street vendors despite their registration goes against the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), implemented in 2014. The scheme mandated the creation of vending zones to provide a stable working environment for street vendors. The state government, municipal bodies, the district collector’s office, and the revenue department were expected to work together to establish these zones. However, according to Sahu, hawkers’ zones and street vending zones are essentially the same—a statement that vendors strongly contest.
Badri, a golgappa seller at MP Nagar, expressed his frustration. “On one hand, they take money from us for the fee, and on the other hand, they keep driving us away. I just don’t understand what the government wants from us.”
Abhishek Rai, who operates a paan kiosk near Chetak Bridge, believes vendors are unfairly targeted. “Many shopkeepers in MP Nagar encroach on roads, but the government only sees us. Either they should tell us where to set up our stalls or stop charging us money.”
As the conflict between policy and practice continues, Bhopal’s street vendors remain caught in an uncertain and unjust situation—paying fees for the right to sell while still being treated as encroachers. With BMC officials refusing to comment further and a clear disconnect between livelihood policies for the urban poor and the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, it seems respite for those forced by poverty to sell their wares on the streets is still a long way off.