GUWAHATI: The busy Jalukbari area has been officially declared a ‘no vending, no parking’ zone as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion. The new regulation, which came into effect on January 7, prohibits vending and commercial vehicle parking in the areas under and above the Jalukbari flyover.
The decision follows a series of ongoing eviction drives.
Earlier on January 7, talking to GPlus, a traffic official from the Jalukbari Police Station stated, “The process has been underway for some time, and the administration has now finalised its plan to clear the area.”
Meanwhile, Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania shared that the administration is also conducting surveys in other parts of the city to create more designated vending zones. "We are identifying areas where vending can be allowed in an organised manner without disrupting traffic or pedestrian flow,” he said.
Earlier talking to GPlus in December, a senior official from the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) also confirmed that 17 vending zones have already been designated across the city. The official added that surveys are still ongoing to identify additional areas where vending can be permitted legally and safely.
Despite the assurance of new vending zones, street vendors displaced from Jalukbari remain anxious about their future.
Talking to GPlus, a vendor who had been operating near the flyover said, “We have been asked to leave, but we don’t know where to go now. Until new vending zones are ready, what are we supposed to do?”
Sarania, however, justified the move, stating, “Those vendors were illegal, so we had to evict them. However, we are surveying 81 locations across the city to establish proper vending zones.”
