Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur said here on Wednesday that vending zones will be identified in each ward in the city where street vendors will be allowed to trade.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating Dakshina Kannada Beedibadi Vyaparasthara Co-operative Society Ltd., said to be the first of its kind in Karnataka, at a function organised at Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall, the Mayor said that officials at the city corporation have been instructed to conduct a survey to identify vacant government land where street vendors will be allowed to trade.
The officials have been told to complete the survey within a fortnight. Once the survey is completed, the vending zones will be notified.
Once the zones are notified, the vendors too should cooperate with the corporation by shifting to the zones, he said, adding that if the prices of commodities are low then naturally buyers will come to the zones to purchase. Hence the vendors need not have any apprehension, the Mayor said.
As per an estimation of the corporation there are about 1,600 street vendors in the city. Of them 684 vendors have registered with the corporation, he said.
President of the society B.K. Imtiyaz said that it was the first cooperative society of street vendors in Karnataka and it has been formed for the economic security and help the street vendors to leaders to lead a decent life.
In all, 17 directors of the society were elected unopposed in an election conducted recently. The president and vice-president, Harish Poojary, too were elected unopposed.
Establishment of the society is the reflection of the team work of the street vendors.
The vendors have invested ₹10 lakh to float the society, he said, adding that the society will be managed in a transparent manner.
Dakshina Kannada general secretary of of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Sunil Kumar Bajal said that formation of the society will help the street vendors to lead a self reliant life. It also showed the organised effort of street vendors.
Leader of the Opposition in the corporation council T. Praveenchandra Alva distributed the share certificates to the directors of the society.
Dakshina Kannada president of CITU J. Balakrishna Shetty presided over.
