Nagpur: Even as Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and city police continue a joint anti-encroachment drive to clear roads and footpaths across the city, the civic body has initiated the process of regulating and rehabilitating street vendors under Maharashtra govt’s proposed Street Vendors Scheme, 2026.
He urged stakeholders to submit objections and suggestions by Sept 30, adding that the draft has been uploaded on NMC’s website for public feedback. NMC surveys had identified around 35,000 street vendors, but only about 1,100 pre-2016 vendors reportedly received licences. Sources estimate the city’s street vendor population exceeds one lakh, far outstripping the capacity of the existing 43 notified hawking zones. It also proposes vending certificate fees of Rs 900 in Class A+ and A municipal corporations and Rs 400 in Class B and C corporations.
Directorate of Municipal Administration has directed municipal corporations to consult local authorities and TVCs before forwarding recommendations to the state govt. Officials acknowledge that enforcement alone cannot provide a permanent solution. Experts believe the cycle of eviction and reoccupation will continue unless more vending zones are created and eligible hawkers are accommodated under Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act. The draft policy classifies vendors into fixed, mobile, motor vehicle and non-motorised categories. Among those present at the meeting were deputy commissioner (markets) Mangesh Khawale, assistant commissioner of police Girish Bane, street vendor representatives Abdul Razzaq Qureshi and Mohammad Sheikhji Qureshi, along with other committee members and civic officials. The consultation process marks the first step towards implementing a long-pending framework for managing street vending in the city.
Municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar on Thursday convened a meeting of Town Vending Committee (TVC) and directed members to begin consultations on the draft policy.