Even as the Mysore City Corporation told street vendors that it will not allow hawking on footpath, considering the safety of pedestrians and the drive against footpath encroachment will continue, the MCC said it was mulling over launching the concept called “Mysuru Santhe” in the city center for allowing footpath vendors to carry out business.
This is in addition to the hawker zones being planned in various parts of the city for rehabilitating street vendors, who were doing business on the footpath. The immediate focus is on the central business district – primarily near the palace, Sayyaji Rao Road and key commercial hubs.
“The concept of Mysuru Santhe is to bring all the vendors in one place and provide them with some basic facilities for earning their livelihood. This will not be for the entire week but for three to four days a week. The MCC is clear in its stand that it will not allow hawking on both sides of the footpath on key roads. If we get suitable land for the initiative, the MCC will consider launching the initiative,” said Mayor Shivakumar.
The Mayor said he has already started identifying land for “Mysuru Santhe” and saw a couple of sites which he thought were unsuitable for the same. “We want at least three to four acres of land to make it happen. The search will continue and the issue was also discussed with the Dasara exhibition grounds’ authorities who refused to give the space for the MCC’s initiative,” he said.
Mr. Shivakumar said the MCC officials have been asked to expedite the process of identifying the hawkers’ zones in the wake of eviction of footpath vendors.
Meanwhile, a group of footpath vendors met the Mayor on Thursday, July 20, and urged him to allow business on footpaths.
The Mayor is learnt to have told them about the problems faced by pedestrians and advised them to wait for some time until the MCC comes up with an alternative plan for their rehabilitation.
During the meeting, the vendors told the Mayor that they were earning their livelihood by doing business on footpaths as they don’t have enough money to own shops or take shops on rent. With no inconvenience caused to pedestrians, we will run the business, the vendors said.
In the absence of space for pedestrians because of hawking, they are forced to walk on the roads and accidents, involving pedestrians have been reported in the recent past.
The vendors have been told that a penalty will be imposed on them if they flout the MCC’s direction.
The MCC has continued the drive against footpath encroachment. The Mayor is learnt to have asked the officers to take the help of police during the eviction of vendors.
Some vendors have hit out at the MCC for the sudden drive and said they could have been told in advance so that they could have made alternative arrangements for earning their livelihood.
