India's Eating-Out Economy
The Street Vendors Act and Urban Space
How the 2014 Street Vendors Act protects vendors' right to trade, how town vending committees work, and conflicts over pavements and eviction drives.
Street vendors use public space to earn a living, often clashing with authorities.
Scale
India has an estimated 1 to 4 crore street vendors, depending on definitions.
The Street Vendors Act, 2014
- Recognises the right of vendors to trade.
- Requires surveys of vendors and vending certificates.
- Creates Town Vending Committees, with vendors as members, to plan vending zones.
- Protects against arbitrary eviction.
Implementation
- Many cities were slow to conduct surveys and form committees.
- Eviction drives continue in some places.
- Vendors often pay informal fees or bribes.
Competing interests
- Pedestrians need footpaths.
- Shopkeepers complain about competition.
- Customers value cheap, convenient food.
Economic value
Street vendors provide affordable food and goods, especially for low-income workers, and create livelihoods with little capital.
Good design
Designated vending zones, like hawker centres in Singapore, can balance these interests.
A city creates a well-lit vending zone near a railway station with space for 200 vendors, clearing footpaths while protecting livelihoods.
The 2014 Act recognises their right to trade.
- India has crores of street vendors.
- The 2014 Act recognises their right to trade.
- Town Vending Committees plan vending zones.
- Implementation is slow and evictions continue.
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