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Himachal Pradesh Assembly Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur welcomed the decision of the state government on the verification and registration of street vendors and hoped that Vikramaditya Singh would be firm on his decision.
Jairam Thakur said, "I welcome this decision of the government if they plan on implementing this. Street vendor policy existed earlier, but the Congress government stopped it. In HP we feel that this policy is a necessity. If they change their stand after pressure from party leadership, it will be understandable because it has happened before as well. We hope that Vikramaditya Singh will be firm on his decision. We welcome the decision on verification and registration of street vendors which is being done on the lines of Uttar Pradesh government." Notably, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Wednesday announced that it will be mandatory for all shopkeepers and street vendors in Himachal Pradesh to display their identity cards. However, after facing flak over the issue, Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday said no such decision has been taken. Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh stated on Thursday that the decision for eateries and their shops to display the names of owners has been taken to maintain 'internal security' of the state, adding that it is the responsibility of the state government and all of us to maintain peace in the state. Speaking to ANI on Himachal Pradesh government's order, the state's minister, Vikramaditya Singh, said, "Anyway, shops normally display their registration number and so on...But this is for the internal security of the state and the apprehensions that have been raised, this needs to be seen that way. An all-party committee has also been constituted and that would look into every detail...There can be no compromise with internal security concerns of the state." "It is the responsibility of the state government and all of us to maintain peace in the state in wake of the chain of events that have taken place in Himachal Pradesh in the past few days," the minister added. Congress found itself in an embarrassing situation as it had vehemently opposed the "display nameplate" diktat for eateries on the route of Kanwar Yatra by BJP-led Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments. Responding to the issue, AICC Himachal Pradesh incharge Rajiv Shukla said that it would not be right to compare the decision on street vendor policy with the Yogi model in Uttar Pradesh. "Vidhan Sabha chairman has formed a committee. The vendors who sit on random places should be given a proper place, should be given a license, should be regulated so that police do not remove them. It is not that they have to put a board with a nameplate. Vikramaditya has also clarified. No such order has been issued yet. It has nothing to do with Yogi model," he said. Last week, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania constituted a seven-member committee headed by Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan for the framing of a policy for 'Street Vendors'. The proposal came in the backdrop of massive protests against the dispute over illegal construction in Shimla's Sanjauli mosque which put the spotlight on growing street vendors in the state and led to demands for a policy to identify, verify and register them. (ANI)
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