Street vending in Chennai

Street vending or hawking is one of the important means of earning a livelihood for the work force in the city. Estimates show that about 66 percent of the city’s work force is involved in informal sector and a sizable proportion among them constitutes unorganised retail traders. Of these, a significant section comprises street vendors or hawkers. Estimates show that Chennai has about 1.25 lakh street vendors or hawkers. They are found in every busy location and road/street in all over the city. However, the presence of large numbers of street vendors or hawkers   has become a contentious issue.  Truly, hawking on road margins, pavements, pedestrian sub-ways and foot over bridges leads to congestion and overcrowding. In many areas footpaths are almost lost to the hawkers. Increasingly, pedestrians are finding to their dismay that the space meant for them is only shrinking.  Besides eating into carriage/pedestrian way, the hawkers often dump garbage in the areas where they carry on their trade, creating nuisance to the public. Sometimes, when hawkers appropriate so much space for themselves they do become more of an impediment/ irritant than a convenience.

 In many areas the shopkeepers keep their fingers crossed as their shops are becoming unapproachable and often invisible for the customers. There has been a long-running battle between street vendors, shopkeepers and pedestrians in all the cities/ towns all over the country over encroachment of roadsides and pavements by hawkers. In fact, trade wars between shopkeepers and hawkers take place very frequently in different places in the cities/towns all over the country.  As residents’ associations as well as shopkeepers associations become more powerful, there is growing pressure on local municipal offices and police to tackle “the hawker menace.” But the hawkers have the support of local politicians and goons, who receive “mamool” from the hawkers.

The hawkers say that the shopkeepers, including big ones, also obstruct traffic flow and pedestrian movements by spreading their wares on pavements and road margins. Besides, according to them, the greatest cause  of  obstruction to traffic  flow,  inconvenience to commuters, nuisance to shopkeepers, and hindrance to street vendors themselves is caused by encroachment of road margins and pavement by  parking (legal as well as illegal) of trucks, cars, motorbikes, scooters, even in busy roads and nearby markets in the cities/towns.

 At present, street vending or hawking is an integral part of urban life in Indian cities/towns. Various studies have already confirmed the fact that street vendors comprise one of the most marginalised sections of the urban poor. What was a sporadic activity found near the railway stations, bus stands, markets and other busy localities, today street vending is institutionaslised in every part of the cities and towns all over India. In fact, one can rarely find a road, street, lane or public place without the presence of hawkers. Experts say that as long as people are unable to get better jobs with higher remuneration in the formal sector, they will continue to fall back to street vending or hawking as a profession/activity to eke out their livelihood. No doubt, the presence of large number  street vendors create  numerous problems  for the civic authorities, traffic police, vehicle users, shopkeepers, pedestrians and the general public. But it is impossible to totally eliminate street vending, for it will jeopardise the livelihood of millions of poor people. Any attempt to eliminate them will only be counterproductive and lead to disharmony. Yet their operations have to be necessarily regulated so as to reduce commuter hardships, obstruction of traffic flow and hindrance to shopkeepers.

 In sum, at present, street vending or hawking is an integral part of urban life in Indian cities/towns. Various studies have already confirmed the fact that street vendors comprise one of the most marginalised sections of the urban poor. What was a sporadic activity found near the railway stations, bus stands, markets and other busy localities, today street vending is institutionaslised in every part of the cities and towns all over India. In fact, one can rarely find a road, street, lane or public place without the presence of hawkers. Experts say that as long as people are unable to get better jobs with higher remuneration in the formal sector, they will continue to fall back to street vending or hawking as a profession/activity to eke out their livelihood. No doubt, the presence of large number  street vendors create  numerous problems  for the civic authorities, traffic police, vehicle users, shopkeepers, pedestrians and the general public. But it is impossible to totally eliminate street vending, for it will jeopardise the livelihood of millions of poor people. Any attempt to eliminate them will only be counterproductive and lead to disharmony. Yet their operations have to be necessarily regulated so as to reduce commuter hardships, obstruction of traffic flow and hindrance to shopkeepers.