In an attempt to expunge the prevailing confusion over the issue of allotment of shops at the newly constructed Atal Smriti Vendors’ Market, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) will soon conduct a meeting with the members of Town Vending Committee (TVC).
Irrespective of several attempts of the Municipal Corporation to settle the street vendors at this dedicated marketing complex, the Civic Body is facing tremendous protest from a few groups over the issue of allocating shops to some ineligible people there. Earlier, the mega structure which is yet to get the habitants was engulfed in the glitch of getting a competent operation and maintenance (O&M) agency for long.
“RMC will take a final call after consulting the members of TVC. The allotment process was done in a transparent way through lottery. The Civic Body has got the proper recordings of the entire procedure. Unnecessary trouble is being created by a few groups as during the process of addressing the claims and objections, several ineligible vendors’ were scrapped out,” said RMC City Manager (NULM Cell), Vikash Kumar on Tuesday.
“After getting complaints, over five more people were blacklisted from the list. Also, no member of TVC has yet come forward, opposing the decision of the Municipal Corporation. In any circumstance, the civic body is not going to conduct the lottery process again,” added Kumar
In the first survey as many as 660 vendors were registered in the list. A number of objections were addressed then as it was found that the actual strength of street vendors is 541, those who have all valid documents. The resurvey was completed on November 1, 2018 yet considering the objections; re-verification of documents was carried out in January 2019.
During the inauguration of the Vendors’ Market, it was announced that 127 street vendors will be settled down there immediately, however, considering the intervention of the members TVC, the shifting process was kept on hold for a few months more. The vendors’ market has a capacity of accommodating 472 street vendors’.
As many as 5,901 street vendors are in Ranchi, as per the State government’s record. Around16, 141 Identity (ID) cards have been distributed among the street vendors across the State while 238 street vendors have been linked with different social schemes.