A complete list of street vendors will be prepared soon by the Kochi Corporation, and vending zones will be notified, Mayor M. Anilkumar said at the council meeting on Saturday.
The welfare and town planning standing committees will scrutinise the matter. Identifying street vendors is crucial before areas could be demarcated for vending, he said.
It was decided at a meeting with the District Collector and the District Police Chief (Kochi City) on Saturday that an inspection of pavements along the city’s main roads would be done to get rid of encroachments, stray cables, and vehicles. The inspection will be conducted by corporation officials in collaboration with the Public Works Department and the city police in central areas like M.G. Road and Abraham Madamakkal Road, he said.
While some road work was mentioned in the State Budget, a discussion will be sought with the State government on the implementation of the work, he said. All agencies, including RBDCK and KMRL, will have to be roped in for such a discussion, and it will be brought to the attention of the State government.
The corporation will also request the State government for help with identifying land for housing projects for landless beneficiaries under the LIFE Mission. While around 4,000 beneficiaries have been identified, the corporation does not have the land to implement a housing project, the Mayor said.
There is vacant land that is being held by various other agencies, including the GCDA, and a request will be made to the government to make areas available for housing projects, Mr. Anilkumar informed.
