Himachal assembly panel to invite public suggestions for street vendors’ policy

The committee constituted by Himachal assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to frame a policy on street vendors on Thursday decided to take suggestions and opinions from the public before submitting the report to the government.

The seven-member committee headed by industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan comprises legislators from both ruling Congress and Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The next meeting of the committee will be held on November 4.

Following the protests over the alleged unauthorised portion of Sanjauli mosque in Shimla, several Hindu groups and trader outfits across the state demanded identification, registration and proper verification of the antecedents of people coming to Himachal for work from outside the state.

After the panel’s meeting on Thursday, Harshwardhan Chauhan said, “All the members discussed the various issues regarding the matter and provided their suggestions. Some clarifications have also been requested from the urban development department. The committee has decided to seek input from the public to gauge their opinions on the matter. We have asked the Urban Development Department to invite public suggestions and present them to the committee at the next meeting.”

“One suggestion the committee has received is that street vendors also operate in rural areas of the state, and there should be provisions to regulate them. Therefore, the committee has recommended that the government involve our Panchayati Raj bodies in rural areas to discuss this issue and develop appropriate regulations,” he added.

After widespread protest in the state, Himachal assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania had on September 20 constituted a committee for framing a Street Vendor Policy.

Urban development minister Vikramaditya Singh’s remarks over mandatory display of owner details by street vendors later stoked a controversy. His remarks triggered a row after the move was likened to the controversial order by Uttar Pradesh government, prompting the state government to clarify that no such decision has been taken so far.

The development also resulted in the Congress high command intervening in the matter and the party’s Himachal in-charge Rajiv Shukla discussed the issue with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Vikramaditya Singh. However, Singh later said that his remarks were unnecessarily related to another state and given communal colour.