As there is no record of street vendors in the capital, the government has been facing a tough time relocating the hawkers. The vendors have been barred from operating their businesses from the streets of the capital since the last two months. 

Two days ago, a new task force formed by the government, which included the representatives of the street vendors, proposed five new places for their relocation after the street sellers rejected the areas fixed by the government earlier saying the areas had no prospect of business. 

“But due to the lack of data on the total number of vendors in the metropolis, we have not been able to finalize the areas. It is only lingering the relocation process of the street vendors. They say the areas are not sufficient to accommodate all street vendors,” said Yagya Prasad Koirala, joint-secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), who is also the coordinator of the task force. 

After the first task force formed by MoHA on March 15 was highly criticized for not including representatives of street vendors and making one-sided decision, MoHA dismissed the task force on Wednesday and repealed all the decisions made by the government based on recommendation of the task force. The ministry formed an all-party task force on the same day to suggest alternative areas for the relocation of the street vendors. 

On Wednesday, the new task force recommended the footpath along Koteshwor-Jadibuti road, the pavement to the east of Om Hospital in Chabahil, open spaces along the Kalanki-Balkhu road Pashupati-Airport road and the road stretch from Padmodaya School to Nepal Tourism Board as places where street vendors could be moved. 

But the areas could not be finalized amid uncertainties over whether the areas can accommodate all the street vendors. 

“The areas are not sufficient. So, we asked the government to add additional areas to the list,” said Kumar Sapkota, president of Self-Employed Business Workers Association (SBWA) 

According to SBWA, over 25,000 street vendors were displaced due to the crack down by the local bodies against street vendors since February 25. The local bodies had started removing street vendors from footpath in the capital following an order issued Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam citing that the businesses were hampering movements of pedestrians and tainting the city’s beauty. 

“The number of vendors claimed by them is too high. We have asked the street vendors to provide us the data on the number of street vendors within a week,” said Koirala. On the basis of the number, the ministry will finalize the areas for them, said he.

Published on: 10 May 2014 | Republica