Hawkers reluctant to occupy sheds

Warangal Urban: It has been more than a year since the construction of the vendors’ zone in the city, but the hawkers and other petty traders are yet to occupy the sheds constructed for their benefit.

Thanks to the alleged dual role of people’s representatives who, on the hand, appeal to the vendors to move to the sheds, and on the other hand hinder the attempts of Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) authorities to shift the vendors or hawkers to the sheds.

The GWMC created the vendors’ zones in the city to ease traffic problems as the hawkers including fruit and vegetable vendors occupy the main roads for their business.

According to official sources, there are about 2,000 hawkers, vendors and other petty traders eking out their livelihoods doing petty business under GWMC jurisdiction.

The civic body identified a total of 14 hawkers/vendors’ zones in the city. Sheds have been constructed at six identified places so far. Four of them – Subedari, Nakkalagutta, Public Gardens and Lashkar Bazar – have been allotted to the vendors several months ago.

Except Nakkalagutta zone, where tea-stalls had come up, no other zone has been occupied by the vendors. “We are doing our best to convince



them. But they are not listening to us. They are even approaching the people’s representatives like local MLAs expressing their inability to shift to the new zones. Unfortunately, the people’s representatives are also supporting the vendors,” said a senior official of GWMC.

However, Md Yusuf, a street vendor from Sunedari, said, “If we move to the vendors’ zone, our business will suffer as people may not visit the new place.”

Meanwhile, the petty traders’ association leaders allege that there were irregularities in the identification of vendors and hawkers. It is alleged that there is no transparency in the allocation of stalls at the vendors’ zones.

As per the official records, there are more than 2,000 hawkers, vendors and other petty traders in GWMC limits, but the vendors argue that the actual number is more.

“The survey to identify the vendors was not done in a scientific manner. Many bogus and duplicate names were included in the list. As per our knowledge, nearly 40 per cent of the listed names are false. The actual number is more than 5,000 in the city limits which include Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet,” said Gajjela Lingamurthy, president of the street vendors’ association.