Bhubaneswar, Feb. 27: The municipal corporation has identified 1,183 street vendors along Janpath to be part of an organised market.

The vendors engaged in small business between Vani Vihar Square and Sishu Bhavan Square have kiosks that fall in three municipal wards.

"We have conducted a survey and come up with the list of vendors who are operating their business along the Janpath. The plan is to organise the business scenario of the city," said a civic body official.

Janpath has been selected under the smart city project for area-based development, which aims to set up housing projects, market corridors, railway station multi-modal hub and an institutional core. The area will be renamed Bhubaneswar Town Centre District.

"The list has been prepared to identify the vendors and provide them with better employment opportunities. The vendors will not be evicted but given centralised locations to carry out their trade. There will be organised and dedicated vending zones on the Janpath where the vendors will be given place to continue their business," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

According to the smart city proposal, the city administration plans to develop dedicated street vending zones in the proposed projects of Satya Nagar Institutional Core as well as the Railway Station Multi Modal Hub in Master Canteen area. Another project called Lake Neutral will also have spaces for vending. All the projects will be executed on the Janpath.

"Street vendors play a major role since the middle class society is dependant upon them. It is a good idea to organise them. I hope the initiative will add to the beauty of the city as well as give a boost to the business of street vendors," said social worker Akash Nayak, a resident of Nayapalli.

Sources said there would be vending zones of specific categories on the Janpath such as fruit vending zone, handicraft vending zone, mixed vending zone and more. The civic body needs to set up an equal number of vending units in line with the identified vendors, which needs more than 40 vending zones, according to officials. The existing Omfed and Opolfed booths will also be brought under in the proposed project.

Besides organised street vending on Janpath, the civic body has decided to come up with uniforms for street vendors across the city. It has notified an open competition for the purpose and asked citizens to provide designs for the uniforms and win cash prizes. The competition will close on March 15 and results will be out in April. The winner will get Rs 50,000 while two runners-up will get Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively.

To participate, you will need to email the design to contest.bukc@gmail.com. There is no entry fee.