New pushcarts to be rolled out soon in Thiruvananthapuram

The Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) has prepared the new design, which will be rolled out soon.

A view of shops near the entrance of the Meuseum in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Photo:S. Mahinsha

The modern pushcarts provided by the city Corporation to a set of street vendors on a pilot basis as part of its Suvidha project will be revamped, accommodating a few design changes. The changes were made as per feedback received from the seven vendors in the Museum area, who were given the carts in the first phase early this year.

The Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) has prepared the new design, which will be rolled out soon.

“The major changes have been made in the roofing, which has been extended to all sides. The vendors had complained about the lack of shade and also seepage of water during the rains. The side panel design has also been changed. At a recent meeting of the committee, the designs were approved, and we can use own fund to make the changes,” Palayam Rajan, chairperson of the Corporation’s welfare standing committee, said.

No size change

But there will be no change in the size of the carts. Vendors had earlier complained that there was barely enough space for them to sit and that they had to find other material, such as wooden planks and waterproof sheets, to make the pushcart more useful. They had also had issues with the lack of space for storage, as the carts were optimised mainly for display of items.

“We have not made any change in the size of the cart, as we have certain standards to follow. Also, increasing the size will cause space constraints to crop up in areas such as Museum or Shanghumughom,” says Mr. Rajan.

The Rs.1.5-crore project is implemented under the poverty social fund of the Kerala State Urban Development Project (KSUDP). In the pilot phase, the Corporation decided to launch it on the road directly opposite its office near the Museum, so that officials could keep track of its effectiveness.

In the next phase, carts will be distributed to 50 more vendors at Shanghumughom, Medical College, General Hospital, and Museum. The plan is to distribute the carts to a total of 176 vendors.

The project, announced in 2011, was delayed owing to confusion in choosing beneficiaries and an implementing agency.