Vendors body seeks fair, transparent conduct of MCD Town Vending Committee elections

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) on Saturday said it has been helping mobilise street vendors for the ongoing Town Vending Committee (TVC) elections in Delhi and urged the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to ensure that the remaining stages of the poll process are held fairly and transparently. The street vendors' body said it has been conducting awareness meetings across the city, assisting eligible vendors in filing nomination papers and encouraging greater participation in the elections. In a statement, it said the response to the nomination process, with a large number of street vendors and community representatives contesting from different social categories, reflected growing awareness about the role of Town Vending Committees under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. The NASVI said it would soon launch a voter awareness campaign across Delhi to encourage street vendors to vote and participate in the election process. The organisation also urged the MCD to scrutinise nomination papers carefully and reject nominations of individuals who possess vending certificates but are no longer actively engaged in street vending. According to NASVI, only practising street vendors should represent the community on the Town Vending Committees, as representation by non-vendors would undermine the purpose of the 2014 law. It also appealed to the civic body to publish the voter list, along with voter details and contact information, on its official website well before polling to make the process more transparent. The NASVI further called for neutrality from licensing inspectors and other officials associated with the elections, saying adequate safeguards should be put in place to ensure that vendors can elect their representatives freely and fairly. "The encouraging response to the nomination process shows that street vendors are keen to participate in strengthening the democratic institutions created under the Street Vendors Act. We appreciate the efforts made so far and hope the remaining election process is conducted with complete transparency and fairness. Genuine street vendors must get genuine representation in the Town Vending Committees," NASVI National Coordinator Arbind Singh said. According to a public notice issued by the civic body, the nomination process began on July 3 and continued till July 10. Scrutiny of nominations and disposal of objections will take place on July 11, while candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations till July 13. The final list of contestants will also be published on July 13. Polling will be held from 8 am to 5 pm on August 2, while counting of votes and declaration of results are scheduled for August 4. The organisation reiterated its commitment to continue working with street vendors to promote informed participation and strengthen democratic representation through free and fair TVC elections. PTI VBH KSI KSI