Besant Road is the busiest street market in Vijayawada. | Photo credit: KVS Giri
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation’s 16-member urban vending committee has proposed a plan to regulate street vending in the city by demarcating streets as no-vending (green), limited-vending (amber) and no-vending (red) zones. While the move is meant to address the growing traffic woes in the city, cronies on Besant Road say it will seriously affect their livelihood.
According to the plan proposed by the committee on 4 May 2026 at the civic body meeting, there are 496 green, 33 amber and 156 red zones in Circle I; 207 green, 53 amber and 26 red zones in ring II; 82 green, 53 amber and 203 red zones in circle III.
The AP Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2017 recognizes that the regulation of street vending is important to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and pedestrian movement. If a bystander needs to be relocated, the process must follow a specific procedure; this includes issuing notices, dealing with the shopkeeper’s case and ensuring their convenient relocation.
The move has drawn sharp anger from shopkeepers who fear they will lose their livelihood if the corporation goes ahead with the proposed plan. “The company doesn’t think twice before giving space to the big companies, but the salesmen have become a nuisance. How is that fair?” asks former CPI(M) corporator B. Satyam Babu.
Reacting to the issue of Besant Road, where shop owners and vendors are fighting over space, Mr. Satyam Babu said that the markets are supposed to be busy and vendors are the lifeline of Besant Road. He also pointed out that the committee does not have any representative member from among the shopkeepers.
Last week, several hawkers staged a protest near the VMC office to highlight their problems and demanded that the corporation immediately issue identity cards to street vendors. They claimed that some falconers had paid for the card but had still not received it.
“ID cards protect us from harassment by the police, corporates and shop owners. The cards also enable us to avail various welfare schemes. But there are many of us who are yet to receive them,” said Someswara Rao, a member of the CITU-affiliated hawkers’ association.
According to VMC sources, notices have been issued to 200 unauthorized ID card holders. While 131 of them have submitted their explanation, 69 have yet to do so. The entire process is expected to be completed soon.
Published – 10 May 2026 19:35 IST
