New Delhi Nov 17 PTI We cant let the city go to the dogs we are here to protect the rule of law the Delhi High Court said on Wednesday expressing concern over rising number of street vendors majority of them sitting illegally in the national capitalThe high court said the area of Delhi is constant and it is bursting at the seams while the population keeps on increasing and asked how many vendors the authorities are going to permitWhat is troubling us today and what is a cause of concern for us is that what is the number of street vendors Your population may keep on rising but the area Delhi has is a constant So how many vendors are you going to be permitting What are the zones Where all they will be It is bursting at the seams a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh saidThe bench added Please understand for a place where there are 120 odd tehbazaari right holders there are about 4000 vendors So its bursting Where do people walk We dont want another Lajpat Nagar We dont want another Nehru Place That exercise has to be today what is the plan What is the number The court issued notices and sought responses of the Delhi government North Delhi Municipal Corporation NrDMC and Town Vending Committee TVC North DMC Zone on plea by Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal seeking direction to strike down various provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Street Vendors Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Scheme 2019Senior advocate Sanjeev Ralli and lawyer Mohit Mudgal representing the petitioner association said the scheme is arbitrary discriminatory illegal and contrary to the Street Vendors Protection of Livelihood and Regulations of Street Vending Act 2021 and Rules 2017The court directed the authorities to file their replies within two weeks and said the Delhi government shall give justification for constitution of the current TVC for City-SP Zone and also the background of NGO members who have been included in the TVC as to the field in which they are working and the causes taken up by the NGOsIt also called for relevant records of the authorities and listed the matter for further hearing on December 8When senior advocate Rahul Mehra urged the court to keep its hands away for three months and said things will be done the bench shot back forget about three months three months is too long not even a single day We have not said anything or passed any order staying actions of TVC We are very clear Mr Mehra we cant let the city go to the dogs We are here to protect the rule of law Rule of law does not mean you only look at one constituency and say that look their rights are there they need to be protected Vendors have a right but no right is absolute the bench saidIt further said that the court has always been saying that it recognises vendors and hawkers as essential part of the economic systemBut we are shocked We are flooded with petitions by vendors it saidThe bench gave example of Connaught Place and said it is a no hawking and no vending zone but the vendors there are increasing day by day and when it a no hawking and no vending zone why should they in the first place be permitted there When you permit them you permit them in such an unregulated way that today that market has lost its character People pay lakhs of rent per month They say they made a mistake by abiding law as not there are 10 vendors sitting outside shops and customers cannot enter the shop because there is a problem of hygiene and law and order The market has lost its character You should see it from the shopkeepers perspective also it saidWhen Mehra said why the court thinks that the government is not looking from the traders point of view the bench said because proof of the pudding is in eatingMehra said that in next 60 days they will have a solution to the problem and that it was pending for last 6 years but the situation remained the sameThe bench said Whenever you find a picture of Delhi iconic buildings and iconic places you either find CP or Qutub Minar Thats how you depict Delhi And very conveniently you dont even think it necessary for having a representative of CP associations in the TVC That is why we take your assurances with a pinch of salt The court is seized of a batch of petitions challenging the validity of Street Vendors Act its implementation certain provisions of the scheme and other connected issues raised by various market associations and vendors and hawkers PTI SKV SA

New Delhi Sep 20 PTI The Delhi High Court Monday asked the police and NrDMC to explain how vending and hawking activities are being allowed despite ban in the Chandni Chowk area which is undergoing redevelopmentThe court also issued notice and asked the Delhi Police and NrDMC to respond to a plea filed by Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal seeking direction against a survey being conducted by the Town Vending Committee TVC in no-hawking no-squatting areas in Chandni Chowk Subhash Marg and other prohibited areas of City- Sadar Paharganj ZoneA bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh directed that while conducting the survey the TVC shall make a distinction and take a note of hawkers who are occupying spaces in no-hawking or no-vending zonesYou continue with the survey but take into account the objections raised by the petitioners Your survey should clearly say that these are the street vendors who are sitting in hawking zone and these are the ones who are in the no-hawking or no vending zone the bench saidThe court asked the authorities to file their replies to the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on November 10It also asked North Delhi Municipal Corporation NrDMC to place on record the scheme relating to no-hawking and no-squatting areasDelhi Police was represented through additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal in the matterSenior advocate Sanjeev Ralli representing Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal submitted that the high court had repeatedly passed orders that in no hawking and no vending zones there shall not be any encroachment Despite that hawkers and vendors are sitting there and now TVC is conducting a survey he saidThe survey team members are taking unauthorised cognisance of the presence of illegal hawkers and squatters in Chandni Chowk and Subhash Marg who are sitting and operating from the no-hawking no-squatting areas notified by North DMC in City SP ZoneRather above unauthorised highly arbitrary and motivated practice adopted by the survey team members also establishes that at present illegal hawkers and squatters are being permitted to sit and operate in no-hawking no-squatting areas with concurrence of survey teams by North DMC and Delhi Police in spite of various restraint prohibitory orders passed earlier by this court the plea filed through Mohit Mudgal and Shivani Rautela saidThe plea sought direction to the Deputy Commissioner of NrDMC to ensure that no notice or cognisance is taken by the survey teams of TVC of the illegal hawkers operating from no-hawking areas of Chandni Chowk Subhash Marg and other such areas notified by NrDMC in City SP ZoneIt also directions seeking explanation from the concerned Deputy Commissioner of City SP Zone DCP North and SHO of Kotwali and Lahori Gate police stations for their alleged failure to ensure that the no-hawking and squatting areas remain encroachment freeOn installation of 330 CCTVs in the entire area Ralli submitted that despite the courts direction not even a single CCTV has been installed till nowOn September 12 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the redeveloped Chandni Chowk market In the redevelopment project the 13km-long stretch of the main Chandni Chowk Road from Lal Qila to Fatehpuri Masjid Road has been improved and beautified PTI SKV SA