The Bharatiya Janata Party has promised to regularise weekly markets of eight lakh street vendors of the national capital if BJP returns to power after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections scheduled for Sunday.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, BJP's National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "Taking cognizance of the demand of eight lakh street vendors of Delhi that their weekly markets be regularized, BJP has determinedly decided to regularize them."
The BJP leader also reminded that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who implemented the Swanidhi Yojana for such vendors under which small traders were given an amount of Rs 10,000 to start their small businesses.
Bhatia said the BJP is committed to ensuring that hardworking people are not harassed.
"There are 12 zones in Delhi and night markets will be set up in them. Along with this, arrangements will also be made for a special women's market.
"It will be ensured that more and more employment opportunities are generated and corruption problems will also be dealt with strictly in a legal manner," said Bhatia.
The BJP spokesperson also said that there are 2,700 weekly markets in Delhi, which have been running for more than 20 years, but almost 80 per cent of them need to be regularised.
"There has always been a demand of street vendors to increase the space, keeping this in mind, the BJP has decided that the street vendors that have been given 6/4 size for so many years. We will increase that size to 7/5 while the weekly markets will be 12/8. So that no one has to face any problems," he said.
Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri hailed the Prime Minister for his financial assistance scheme for street vendors providing Rs 10,000 each for employment survival during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bidhuri mocked key rival in the civic body polls Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
"After PM Modi gave financial assistance of Rs 10,000, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal also talked about giving Rs 20,000 to vendors," said Bidhuri and added he was ready to resign from his post if Kejriwal could show even one man who got that Rs 20,000.
"The way the central government has given free rations under the Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, it has proved to be a boon in the pandaemic period.
"Today 3,024 flats built in Kalkaji were given to the poor, in which about 17 per cent of the poor are street vendors," he added.
The high-stakes Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections will take place on Sunday and the counting will be held on December 7. The campaigning ended on Friday with the AAP government announcing three-day dry day till results.
The elections to the 250-ward MCD is a high-pitched contest between the BJP that has held the reins of the civic body since 2007, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that has been in government since 2013, besides the Congress. Cleanliness of the city and pollution being key concerns for many Delhiites.
( With inputs from ANI )
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