All-party committee to address street vendor ID issue in Himachal, assures minister Vikramaditya Singh

Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Singh said that the vending zones would be done following the instructions of the High Court as well as the Supreme Court.

This came in the wake of a row over the mandatory display of the identity of street vendors in the state of Himachal Pradesh as announced by Singh on Wednesday, following which a meeting was called by Congress high command in the national capital on Friday.

Singh clarified his statement and stated that they did not want to hurt anyone's sentiment and that people from every corner of the country were welcome to the state.

"An all-party committee has been formed for the issue of vending zones, which will see how vending is to be done. There are many instructions of the High Court and the Supreme Court in this... We do not want to hurt anyone's sentiments; people from any corner of the country are welcome in the state... But it is also our responsibility to take care of the concerns of the local people and in this regard, I have told the party high command that the government will work together with the high command on this," he said.

"Yesterday a good meeting was held; many issues were discussed in the context of Himachal Pradesh. This issue (regarding displaying the names of owners on restaurant boards) was also discussed and I assured him that it is our responsibility to follow the party's instructions and we are the party's dedicated workers. I have also told him that the government and the Chief Minister are making every effort to resolve this dispute that has been going on in Himachal Pradesh for a long time," the Himachal minister said.

Following Singh's announcement, the Himachal Pradesh government clarified on Friday that no decision has been taken so far to make it mandatory for street vendors to display their identity cards.

On being asked about the rumours regarding his resignation, he said that these were baseless news and that there was no need to react to them.

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratibha Singh was also present at the meeting with the Congress General Secretary.

Following the meeting, she said on Saturday, "Whenever we come to Delhi, we try to meet senior leaders and party high command. We follow their orders... Yesterday we met KC Venugopal, and we have spoken to him... Vikramaditya had some meetings of his department here... Many projects are funded by the Centre, so it is important to coordinate with them, with PM Modi and other leaders, because it is in the interest of the state and we have to look at the betterment of the state. Earlier, when the tragedy happened in Himachal Pradesh, we informed the central government and sought their help... We work only in the interest of the state." (ANI)