Dear Shiv, On the hygiene issue I agree that good public health inspection is needed. I am not sure what you mean by people cannot walk on the pavements because of these vendors-do the vendors litter, or do they take up a lot of room with their paraphernalia and customers thereby resulting in people not being able to get from place A to place B in a straight line? Is the bigger issue about how little space pedestrians get in city planning efforts? there is a fine balance between regulation and spontaneity in cities-you may want to read Jane Jacobs, the author of Death and rise of great american cities-of course, she advocated street vendors but that was in the north american context. I am personally not in favor of recreating the sterile sidewalks of North America in India but then yes, before you say it, I don't live in India. if i had to choose a noise to shut off in neighborhoods in india-it would be honking not that coming from hawking. on another note, has anybody noticed whether there has been a reduction over the past decade in the vendors who come to the door i.e subzi wallas, rabariwallas and others?
Radhika On Feb 10, 2008 7:38 AM, shiv sastry <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Sunday 10 Feb 2008 5:02 pm, Udhay Shankar N wrote: > > It's no longer possible to go get something to eat in VV Puram at 1 > > AM. It used to be. > > If I may launch off into one of my tangents - this area of VV Puram falls > very > close to the area covered by the Local residents Association of the area > that > I live in, and we have close contacts with the residents association of VV > Puram of that area. > > Pavement restaurants, while admittedly fun for those who drive in from a > distance, have been unregulated and have become a nuisance for local > residents. There are regulations governing who is and is not allowed to > set > up a part time or semi permanent business establishment on a pavement. > These > regulations are regularly flouted when no one complains, but once > complaints > start coming in, it may be curtains for such businesses. > > There are many rules that are broken by these vendors, and a few include > cooking and selling food in uncovered containers open to the street dust > and > flies, unhygienic and unsafe garbage disposal (chuck it into storm water > drain), absence of facilities for cleaning of reusable utensils apart from > noise and light that may be a nuisance to people living nearby. Apart from > occupation of a pavement for an activity for which the pavement should not > be > used. Public space being used for private profit in other words. > > The evolution of such businesses in India starts with "Just setting it > up" (Just do it). If uncontrolled we get a Gandhi Bazaar like situation in > which the entire pavement is occupied by illegal vendors who do not pay a > paisa of tax, but have been there long enough to get political support > against being chucked out and being deprived of a livelihood. And that > despite the fact that pedestrians can neither walk on the pavement for the > vendors, nor on the street for the traffic, and civic services have no > access. > > The second stage after "just do it" is complaints and agitation by locals > that > ensures that some areas are freed from illegal businesses. > > The third stage is "Corporators visit Europe to see how it is done there" > > The final stage may be a semblance of civilization and rule of law. > > shiv > >
