Delhi Elections: Congress Vows to Safeguard Street Vendors
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Synopsis
New Delhi, Jan 25 (NationPress) The Delhi Congress has taken aim at former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government for their failure to implement protective measures for street vendors, predominantly from Purvanchal, highlighting the adverse impact on their livelihoods.
Key Takeaways
- Criticism of Kejriwal's government for neglecting street vendor protections.
- Non-implementation of the 2014 Street Vendors Act affecting millions.
- Only a fraction of street vendors recognized and provided necessary documentation.
- Congress promises full enforcement of vendor protections if elected.
- Political delays in implementing street vendor laws highlighted.
New Delhi, Jan 25 (NationPress) The Delhi Congress on Saturday criticized former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government for their role in the ongoing harassment faced by millions of street vendors, primarily from Purvanchal, due to the lack of implementation of a law meant to safeguard their livelihoods.
According to Mona Mishra, the Leader of the Congress in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the inability of the Kejriwal government to establish designated vending zones has left street vendors vulnerable to repeated harassment from Delhi Police, civic officials, and other government representatives, who reportedly engage in extortion and exploitation.
Mishra highlighted that the failure to enforce the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 has adversely affected the livelihoods of nearly 35 lakh individuals relying on street vending in Delhi.
The majority of these vendors originate from Purvanchal, which includes eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
She expressed her disbelief that the AAP government has recognized only 72,467 street vendors in Delhi, issuing Certificate of Vending to merely 62,333 and identity cards to 56,422.
Mishra assured that if Congress regains power in Delhi, the Street Vendors Act will be fully implemented to protect the livelihoods of all street vendors without any bias.
During the press conference held at the DPCC office, Rajiv Bhawan, Mishra pointed out that the Congress-led UPA Government had enacted the Street Vendors Act on March 5, 2014, to support street vendors, yet due to the political tussle between the Kejriwal Government and the BJP, it took six years for Kejriwal to notify the Act on October 6, 2019.
Despite this delay, the Act has not been fully enforced in Delhi, affecting 7.5 lakh officially recognized street vendors and the 35 lakh individuals dependent on them.
Others at the press conference included AICC national spokesperson Abhay Dubey, Asma Tasleem, and Jyoti Singh.
