Street Vending is one of the most visible forms of local urban economic activity found around the world and significantly contributes to the micro economy of the cities. Street vendors in India, estimated at 10 million, constitute roughly 11% of the urban workers and provide both goods and services making them an inevitable part of the life of its cities. The vending economy has a turnover of around Rs 80 crore a day, and every street entrepreneur or trader supports an average of three others as employees, partners or workers (D’Cruz 2021).
Vending plays a primary role in the economy of several countries in Latin America, South Asia and Southeast Asia and contributes heavily due to the vibrant street culture that exists in these parts of the world. It is essential to safeguard the culture of vending and make it a safe space for vendors and make urbanisation a more inclusive project. As vending requires low investment, it is accessible and involves self-employment for the urban poor. It provides all sorts of goods from perishable items like fruits and vegetables, food items to furniture, clothes, jewellery and services like repair services, etc. With the passing of the Street Vending Act in 2014, street vending activity is in the process of formalisation and the implementation is in operation in several states in India. It made local authorities recognise vending zones and create attractive vending structures to make the business easier and hassle-free for the vendors.
The southern Indian state of Kerala has a very diverse vending pattern across its districts. With districts like Kozhikode, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram having a considerable number of street vendors across their towns, street vending in Kerala is significant in the urban areas providing livelihood opportunities to many in the state.
The Government of Kerala has enacted Kerala Street Vendors Rules, 2018 and Kerala Street Vendors Scheme 2019 for smoother conduct of street vending. The local urban governments are given the power to legislate their own bye-laws based on regional diversities to make the legal framework more inclusive and accessible.
Vendors in Kerala provide all kinds of services ranging from food, and clothes to handicrafts and artefacts that are notable aspects of Kerala's tradition. SM Street in Kozhikode, and the Fort Kochi area in Ernakulam, are well-known areas in the state where vending thrives, attracting both local customers and tourists. In the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, we can see many book vendors due to the presence of universities and research centres.
The number of vendors in Kerala ranges from a few hundred to thousands in each district. For example in the city of Kochi, in Ernakulam district, there are around 3000 vendors whereas in Alappuzha there are around 250 registered vendors. This diversity shows that the type of vending in Kerala is very specific to the city's demography and street culture.
In a state with an influx of national and international tourists, vending is a very attractive aspect of cities and towns in Kerala. In 2021, tourism contributed a significant amount of Rs. 12,285 crores to the total revenue of the Kerala economy. Apart from tourists, street vending is also a major service provider for locals who depend on vending for their daily consumption of food, groceries, etc.
The Handbook is prepared as a guideline document that simplifies
The Handbook is intended for everyone ranging from policymakers to government authorities to the general public, to understand the street vending laws. The Handbook helps in the smoother implementation of the laws and in preparation of the bye-law on street vending.
The Handbook is prepared in a question-answer format for easy understanding of the law. It is divided into two sections and each question has two components. The first section, “What Law Says”, gives a comprehensive understanding of the street vending law and rules of both the Central and Kerala governments.
The second section titled “CPPR Comment” comments on each provision of the law including the gaps that can lead to difficulties in the implementation of the law. The Comment part of the handbook comes from rigorous field study and policy research while working for both the Alappuzha Municipality and the Kochi corporation.
Read moreAs part of the work that CPPR did on the street vending sector in Kerala, we assisted Kochi Municipal Corporation and Alappuzha Municipality.
CPPR assisted Alappuzha Municipality to prepare a street vending plan by identifying existing and potential vending areas in the city and in drafting the bye-laws of street vending.
Kochi Municipal Corporation was assisted in preparing a relocation plan for selected zones on the Cochin Smart Mission Ltd (CSML) roads. Vending is an important source of livelihood for a major demographic consisting of the urban poor and it is vital for the model of vending to be more approachable and less difficult.
