Chandigarh, September 16: In a surprise Ground Zero visit, Chandigarh Mayor Sh. Saurabh Joshi today inspected the Street Vending Zone earmarked for Sector-52 and Sector-53 and raised serious concerns over the practical viability of the site.

The Mayor, accompanied by Joint Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Gupta, visited the area after receiving grievances that vendors were unable to occupy the designated vending zone due to its isolated location.

During the inspection, it was observed that the site is surrounded largely by undeveloped and jungle-like open land, with virtually no residential habitation, commercial establishment or regular customer footfall nearby.

The Mayor said that merely earmarking a vending site on paper cannot serve the purpose if vendors are unable to earn their livelihood there.

“A vending zone cannot function in isolation. If there are no residents, no commercial activity and hardly any customer footfall, how can a street vendor sustain his family from such a location?” Mayor Saurabh Joshi said.

He added that vending zones must be planned keeping in view livelihood, accessibility, customer movement and practical ground realities, and not merely administrative convenience.

Mayor Joshi directed the concerned officials to undertake a fresh assessment of the Sector-52/53 vending arrangement and identify practical and commercially viable alternatives where vendors can actually conduct business.

He also asked officials to examine suitable interim arrangements so that the livelihood of affected vendors is not compromised while a long-term solution is worked out.

Taking the matter further, Mayor Joshi announced that the Sector-52/53 Street Vending Zone issue will be placed before the upcoming General House Meeting of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh for discussion and appropriate consideration.

“The concerns of the vendors are genuine and deserve a practical solution. I will take this issue to the House so that a fair, workable and sustainable arrangement can be considered,” he said.

The Mayor reiterated that Chandigarh’s street-vending policy must strike a balance between vendors’ livelihood, cleanliness, accessibility, traffic management and orderly use of public spaces.