Chandigarh: The municipal corporation will conduct a draw of lots for eligible street vendors Saturday. The process is scheduled to begin at 11am and is expected to conclude by the afternoon. The civic body has deputed dozens of employees for the exercise and sought police deployment to ensure it is conducted smoothly and peacefully.According to official records, 774 eligible street vendors will be considered in the draw. This includes 668 vendors who were recently shifted from the Essential Service Provider (ESP) category to the non-ESP category following a Supreme Court verdict.Sources said of the 668 vendors moved to the non-ESP category, 276 will return to the non-ESP sites originally allotted to them before they were shifted to their ESP locations under the July 2020 notification. The remaining non-ESP vendors will be allotted fresh sites through Saturday’s draw.“Out of the 668 vendors, 276 will be sent back to their earlier non-ESP sites. The remaining vendors in the non-ESP category will be allotted fresh vending sites,” sources said.Meanwhile, the town vending committee (TVC) has constituted a joint committee to carry out a comprehensive assessment of all vending sites, including model vending zones. The panel comprises representatives of street vendors, market associations, the architecture department, the MC and elected TVC members.The committee will examine all vending sites to assess their feasibility and ensure proper planning before further development and allotment of vending spaces.
