Demanding implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, vendors in the city and the district submitted a petition to the City Municipal Corporation Commissioner K.R. Selvaraj here on Wednesday.
Members of Salem District Street Vendors Welfare Association, led by its secretary V. Rajendran and members of Salem City Street Roadside Small Traders Association, led by its president A. Eswaran, along with members, said that though the Act came into force on March 5, 2014, the State government took no steps to implement it.
“There is no action on the part of the government for implementing the Act to protect the lives of vendors. It is the duty and responsibility of the government to implement the Act,” they said.
Members said that the Act should be implemented in all local bodies and wanted Town Vending Committee to be formed as a first step.
Also, they demanded issuance of ‘certificate of vending’ for each zone in the categories as stationary vendor, mobile vendor and other categories as specified in the scheme.
Members also said that non-vendors are photographed and enumerated in the vendor survey carried out by the private company in the Corporation limits.
They wanted the Corporation to streamline the process and ensure that only vendors are included in the survey.
The commissioner promised that only vendors would be enumerated and an officer would monitor the survey process.
The survey has recently begun and is expected to be completed in a month’s time.
Officials said that there could be more than 7,000 vendors in 60 wards in Corporation limits and their livelihood would be protected.
