Reena Trivedi, chairperson of Sambalpur Municipality

Sambalpur, May 26: Sambalpur Municipality has started the process of constructing vending zones in various parts of the city.

Reena Trivedi, chairperson of the Sambalpur Municipality, today laid the foundation stone for the construction of vending zone in Modipara.

“Construction of vending zones is a need of the hour to ensure proper urban planning and development of the city. We want to build vending zones in such a manner that these do not create traffic congestion in the future,” said Trivedi.

“We have proposal to construct vending zones in Jail Chowk, Hirakud Colony, C.S. Colony, Kamli Bazaar, Cheruapara, Farm Road and Modipara of Sambalpur. Each cabin will be of the size of 6ft by 5ft. The municipality will spend Rs 22,000 to construct each cabin. But the vendors will pay Rs 11,000 towards security deposit to get a cabin. The vendors who can’t pay the amount at one go, can pay in instalments,” said Trivedi.

“We are yet to finalise the list of vendors who would get the cabins in the vending zones. More than 1,200 vendors will be accommodated in the vending zones and old vendors will be given priority. We have a proposal to construct 60 cabins in the next week and we expect the entire work to be completed in two months’ time. The construction of vending zones is being carried out in public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Sainabe Services, a Bhubaneswar-based company, has been entrusted with the responsibility to make the cabins,” the municipality’s chairperson added.

“Fifteen hundred vendors are in need of cabins in the vending zones. We have submitted a list of 500 persons to the chairperson of the Sambalpur Municipality,” said Satish Bishi, president of the Sambalpur Utha Dokani Sangha.

“We welcome the step taken by the Municipality to provide vending zones to the hawkers and vendors. I also hope that it will not take much time to build the cabins,” said a vendor, who was evicted during an eviction drive.