Delhi govt to rope in social workers to strengthen grievance redressal mechanism for street vendors

New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) The Delhi government will strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism for street vendors by roping in professionals with social work background to serve on civic bodies' panels, officials said on Saturday.

The government plans to induct two social workers each into the street vendors dispute resolution panels of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and the Delhi Cantonment Board, an Urban Development Department official said.

Applications have been invited from eligible professionals to serve as members of the grievance redressal and dispute resolution committees of the civic bodies, as per Section 20 of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, and Rule 4 of Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2017, he said.

Applicants are required to have adequate knowledge or at least 10 years of experience in social work or dealing with the problems involving street vendors, officials said.

Those with knowledge of public affairs or municipal or public administration, as well as retired Group A officers of the central or state government, will also be eligible for the post.

"These members with experience in social work and civic issues will help deal with the grievances reported by street vendors with the committees and ensure better dispute resolution," the official added.

There are several lakh street vendors in the national capital, but the number of those registered with the civic bodies is around 1.5 lakh, officials said.

The grievance redressal and dispute resolution committees take steps, including investigating complaints received from street vendors, in matters related to eviction or harassment by authorities.

Street vendors are required to lodge their complaints with these panels within a given time frame, after which a hearing is conducted and further orders are issued. PTI VIT ANM ANM KVK KVK