Rapid Need Assessment of Street Vending
Rapid Need Assessment of Street Vending
Street vending exists in most parts of Nepal, but the practice is most prevalent in major towns like Kathmandu, Patan, Narayangadh, Nepalgunj, Biratnagar, etc. These major cities have no planned places for street traders and are, therefore, located in spaces meant for other uses. This results in contestations and conflicts with urban authorities (Muuka, 2003). In Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) street vending was common practice in the street of almost all wards. Vendors were selling their products on the footpath, and it was being taken as standard practice. There was no specific regulation in place to prevent or regularize these practices. Analytical Report on the Informal Sector of the Central Bureau of Statistics (March 2021) states that half of the business establishments operating in Nepal are not registered and are counted as informal enterprises. The same report also presents that out of the 923,027 business establishments in the country, 34,101 (3.7 percent) were street businesses and about 45,000 people were engaged in street business that includes street vending as well.
According to Mr. Raj Kumar Shrestha 1 , General Secretary, Association of Street Vendors’ Trade Union, there are more than 10,000 street vendors, 25,000 are cart business person inside Kathmandu Metropolitan City. It was reported that 1,45,000 people are affected resulting to live in poverty, unemployment from this displacement steps by KMC.
Similarly, Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuwa Raj Khatiwada said, removing street vendors has highly been affected in the country’s economy. Our country is developing country, and state is not capable to ensure employment to its citizen neither social security. Therefore, KMC should make plan and policy for their settlement that would be good for both vendors and KMC.
This occupation faces various crackdowns and restrictions from the municipality officials as street vendors encroach the footpath, creating difficulties for common pedestrians.
Recently, after the second local election of KMC, the newly elected Mayor and his team initiated removing street vendors from footpaths and making it easy for pedestrians in almost all wards. Many people loudly supported these actions of the KMC, and a few have opposed the crackdowns on street vendors. The local community and businesspersons have liked this initiative of the KMC, but the street vendors affiliated with some mainstream trade union centers have opposed it. The interviews of vendors who were removed depict that it has also impacted the family of the vendors, particularly in removing the opportunity of their income source.
Confrontation between the municipal officials and street vendors was becoming common in KMC’s wards and arguments for alternative opportunity for the street vendors were increased. In some places, street vendors had started to disobey the circular and prohibition orders for not operating a vending business in the street. As per the statements of metropolitan officials, this confrontation might have increased in the coming days. Hence, it was become essential to have various key stakeholders perspectives to resolve street vendors current problems, let KMC implement its movement in clearing footpaths for pedestrians, and promote KMC as one of the clean and historic cities.
The members of the newly established organization, the Center for Informal Economy (a non for profit making company of the professionals, academia, trade unionist, practitioners, and researchers) discussed these current issues of vendors that are prohibited from their business
rights and the initiatives of the KMC in making KMC a clean and historic city. Center for Informal Economy decided to conduct a rapid survey to understand the stakeholders perception and impact on street vendors due to the new regulation of KMC. For the rapid assessment, a semi-structured interview of key stakeholders particularly street vendors who are affected, local community, municipal officials, commuters, associations of street vendors and business groups. Center for Informal Economy in collaboration with Hope for Change Nepal conducted this study to explore and examine the perception and impacts of street vendors in KMC so that the findings
would supported the authorities in formulating policies.
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