Regardless of several warnings, seizures and constant reminders to the vegetable vendors who fearlessly sell eatable items alongside major streets for doing brisk business during the peak hours, they remain adamant over their decision of not restricting their trade in the allotted time prescribed by the civic body even after Mayor Asha lakra having spoken with them on the issue.
Recently, in an attempt to make the city streets hustle and bustle free during the rushed hour, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has decided to confine the timing of vendors selling their products all day to just four hours now (6 am to 10 am). Earlier, in the absence of proper mechanisms, street vendors valiantly used to sell their products encroaching major portion of the streets while adding more to the traffic congestion woes.
Meanwhile, the top officials of the Municipal Corporation are sticking with their decision of limiting the timing of the vegetable sellers for streamlining the traffic mess. All measures adopted in the recent past had proved futile as according to the traffic constables deputed at lalpur Chowk, the prime cause of traffic jam is solely local the vegetable sellers who despite warning do not leave the place.
Mayor Asha lakra who few days back took a reality check of lalpur-Kokar market with the team to convince the vendors to support the Municipal Corporation’s drive in keeping the city streets encroachment free said, “We are facing problem in removing the street vendors from a few streets as according to them they will lose their loyal customers. But setting a proper time-table has become the need of the hour looking at the traffic condition. We have given two days time to them to take decision on this. Even if the street vendors do not support us, we will continue the drive from December 4.”
“Time allocation is a new initiative and a step ahead of including Ranchi in the list of planned cities. Until and unless, some stringent steps will not be taken up, it is difficult to rationalize the system. Only after a survey, the decision of time-allocation was considered by us,” the Mayor said.
When enquired about the problems faced by the RMC enforcement cell officials recently in removing the street vendors from busy roads, an officer of enforcement cell on anonymity said, “Transforming their mindsets is the biggest challenge. According to the vendors, they are not willing to do the business in the prescribed hours as they might be not able to recover their money. Though we tried to remove them several times even before the official orders were issued but not much difference can be seen.”
Meanwhile, the hawkers, vegetable sellers besides being obstinate over new dictate of the civic body have termed the entire exercise as a pre-planned conspiracy to save face from the mismanagement that has been created by the slack approach of RMC officials.