Patna: In a major setback for hundreds of street vendors awaiting permanent rehabilitation, the proposed vending zone and prefabricated shops along J P Ganga Path have been shelved with senior officials of Patna Smart City Limited (PSCL) and Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) indicating the projects have been cancelled. The move has left around 250 vendors, displaced from the riverfront since Feb, facing fresh uncertainty.“The area earmarked for our vending zone has now been levelled and work is continuing, but none of us knows whether it is actually being developed for us or if it will ever be handed over,” said R K Nirala, vice-president of the J P Ganga Path Street Vendors’ Association. “Whenever we approach the authorities, we are told the vending zone will be ready in two months. We have been hearing the same assurance since Feb 2026,” he added.Association president Manish Kant said most vendors are now operating along the riverbank but may soon be forced back onto J P Ganga Path. “Within a week, if the rain intensifies, we won’t be able to function on the riverfront. We will have no option but to return to Marine Drive, from where we were removed on the assurance that a vending zone would be provided,” he said.Nirala also claimed the prefabricated shops, which had already been erected for larger food outlets and branded eateries, have been removed.A senior PMC official alleged the vendors operating at J P Ganga Path do not possess valid vending identities. Nirala rejected the claim, saying all vendors have valid IDs. “Even if we are removed again, we will return because this is our livelihood. Our families survive on vending at Marine Drive. They cannot simply take this place away from us,” he said.A senior PSCL official said both projects could not proceed as approvals from higher authorities were not received. According to the official, the prefabricated shops obstructed the view of the Ganga, while a full-fledged vending zone could lead to congestion and traffic problems on JP Ganga Path. As a result, both projects are proposed to be shifted elsewhere.Another PMC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the site earlier earmarked for the vending zone will instead be developed as a green corridor with extensive plantation under the riverfront beautification plan.The decision marks a major departure from plans announced over the past three years. If implemented, the revised proposal will replace the envisioned food and recreation hub with a landscaped green belt, ending hopes of a formalised riverfront marketplace for hundreds of vendors.
