Kiosks at Bajrakabati in Cuttack where the civic body plans to set up vending zones. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, March 6: The municipal corporation will spend Rs 40 lakh for construction of vending zones in various locations of the city during 2013-14.

“We hope to complete construction of vending zones in at least two locations – Bajrakabati and Matamatha – by the end of March. We have allocated Rs 40 lakh for vending zones during 2013-14 and hope to come up with as many as possible during the year,” Mayor Saumendra Ghosh told The Telegraph today.

But, the Khudra Utha Dokani Mahasangh, which has been spearheading the cause of 20,000 street vendors and hawkers in the city, is little enthused by the fund allocation in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation’s annual budget.

“It’s good that the corporation has, for the first time, allocated funds for vending zones under special projects. But, much depends on successful implementation of the project as the civic administration’s track record has not been encouraging,” the Mahasangh’s president Subash Singh told The Telegraph today.

“The civic body, had prepared a detailed blue print, envisaging creation of 18 vending zones across the city. The process of identification of land was completed in 2009. But, it has been able to come up with only five vending zones so far,” Singh said.

“Vending zones at Biju Patnaik Chhak, Bidanasi, OMP Square, Sati Chaura and Jobra were inaugurated in August last year. But, vendors are yet to be allotted space at the Jobra vending zone,” he said.

Ghosh said the desired pace of progress had not been achieved owing to delay in transfer of government land by concerned departments to the civic body. The process has been pending in case of land identified for vending zones in more than 10 locations.

The Mahasangh president alleged that the five vending zones, which had come up so far, had failed to serve its purpose as only around a dozen street vendors had been accommodated in each of them.

“The corporation should construct vending zones that can seat 50 to 60 vendors in a single vending zone,” he said.