Planning for street vendors case study, Bhopal Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Increasing poverty and lack of employment opportunities in rural area are probably the main factors due to which informal activities in urban areas are increasing. A major part of informal workers work as street vendors. Street vending offers convenient access to economical goods and services for a wide range of income groups, especially the poor. In India, street vendors constitute 2 to 2.5 percent of the urban population (Sharit Bhowmik, “Street Vendors in Asia: A Review,” Economic and Political Weekly (May 28–June 4, 2005)). Formalizing street vending can be seen as a means of poverty alleviation—from point of view both of the vendor and of customers who are unable to afford more expensive goods and services in formal establishments. Though the goods and services provided are consumed by all sections of the society, people working in informal sector lack formal recognition and protection. A lack of legally provided space forces them to encroach on the public space and thus they are generally considered as nuisance by ULBs and authority often impose restrictions to carry out their trade in public places.The study aims at proposing a spatial plan for integration of street vending activities in planned area. This is done by spatial analysis of the street vending activity through case example of New Market Area (commercial area of Bhopal) and for this matter a detailed questionnaire was developed. Characteristics captured through primary survey were: socio-economic condition of the vendors, spatial aspects of vending, their willingness to relocation/rehabilitation, problems related to uncertainty of business. After completion of primary and secondary survey regarding their choice of location, the concentration they are found in, the kind of asset they posses and goods they sell and the area requirements of the particular type of hawker at particular land use is concluded and then spatial plan is proposed for incorporation of vending activities in formal planned area. Certain recommendation have also been given after examining related laws and government policies to incorporate vending activity in planning process supported by suitable rules and regulations for future.