Confrontations between municipal officials and street vendors have been an ongoing saga, with no proper measures to tackle the issue head on. While the hawkers have become part and parcel of urban living, allowing unlimited numbers to take over the footpaths so that they can eke out a living will create other problems. Problems like obstructions for people walking on the sidewalk, pedestrians losing their right of way and spilling out on to the street and increasing chances of traffic accidents, and disruptions to traffic management raise important questions for public wellbeing.

It is a sad state of affairs for an increasing number of people to spread their merchandise on the footpaths and use these public walkways to generate a livelihood. And while it is illegal to do so, the hawkers have no means other than living in constant fear of a crackdown by city officials who resort to high-handed measures while clearing up the public walkways. In managing this delicate issue, that is providing a means for the hawkers to earn a living while at the same time maintaining public safety and hygiene, there is a need for a practical approach.

First and foremost, the city officials’ high-handed approach in dealing with hawkers needs to be completely halted. Such action only creates bitterness between the two crucial stakeholders and vitiates the environment when the solution is trying to find common ground. Constant communication with street vendors and other important stakeholders is a must. The communication aspect should target training the street vendors to help them make a living while at the same time ensuring that it is done with the least possible inconvenience to the public at large.

Relocating the vendors has been on the cards for many years, but relocating them is easier said than done. Street vendors are naturally attracted to areas with high footfall which makes good business sense; but at the same time, it draws the ire of officials. To prevent the haphazard mushrooming of street vendors in every nook and cranny, officials perhaps could help provide a dedicated space with a licensing system to monitor their activities. Ensuring a safe and stable working environment would resonate well with the vendors, and in turn, allow the public to avail of their services, keeping disruption to city life to a minimum.

Management of the informal business should be high on the agenda of city officials. After all, it employs 832,187 persons or 25.8 percent of the total 3.22 million people employed in Nepal. Undoubtedly, the informal sector plays a vital role in the country’s economy in terms of job creation. Hence, providing legal status to the street vendors’ businesses will help the authorities monitor their activities and, in the longer term, contribute revenue in the form of tax to the government coffers. But these measures cannot be taken with an emotional bent. The current practices need to be overhauled, and while it is essential to allow the vendors some space to conduct their business, it cannot be done at the expense of the greater public good and inconvenience.