Central Vista: In refreshed Avenue, vendors hope to embrace new role in fixed zones

Bhagwan Das, 41, has been eagerly waiting for the Central Vista Avenue to reopen. It has been almost 20 months since street vendors were removed as part of the redevelopment work around the area. With the zone now reopened for the public, Das hopes to find a space for himself.

While the plan for the new avenue places a few restrictions on vendors, dedicated zones have been developed on each side of Kartavya Path, located between the front lawn and parking lot on both sides, to allow visitors to buy snacks and knick-knacks, as before.

According to a New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) official, there were more than 200 vendors operating along the stretch when it was handed over to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for the redevelopment work in 2018.

The new rules specify that vendors will no longer be allowed to sell food on the front lawns between Man Singh Road and C-Hexagon.

A senior official from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which is the nodal agency for the redevelopment of the Central Vista project, said, “In each vending zone, there will be space for 40 vendors. But people can’t set up big carts here. These have to be people who have small set-ups. Street vendors will not be allowed to sell food in the front lawns between C-Hexagon and Man Singh Road.”

Curbs also extend to visitors as well.

“We will also discourage people from eating in the front lawns on Kartavya Path near India Gate. Eating food in the lawns at C-Hexagon near India Gate is not allowed in any case.”

Ice-cream vendors will not be allowed at the site initially, said senior Union housing and urban affairs ministry officials, adding that a call will be taken after the public return to the space.

“No decision has been taken as of now. But the ice-cream carts will not be allowed on Kartavya Path initially. Vendors can sell items in the vending zone. We have to look at the situation once the area is open to the public,” the official said.

Das, who used to sell snacks and cold drinks at Man Singh Road for the past two decades but now sells his wares at Ashoka Road, said, “Tomorrow, we will get some idea about where we can sit and restart our business. We have been told that the government has created new vending zones. But I hope I can do business from my old location.”

A senior NDMC official said the process of surveying and allocation of space to street vendors will have to be started afresh.

“A town vending committee for New Delhi is already in place. This body will allot vendors these spaces and decide timings. We may have to rotate the street vendors based on space availability,” the official said.

“Before the revamp work began, there used to be around 200-300 street vendors along this belt but the number of licensed vendors was only a minuscule fraction of this number,” the official added on condition of anonymity.

Rakesh Kumar, an ice-candy seller, said he has been vending at India Gate for over two decades. “At India Gate, we used to earn more than ₹500 or more daily. During weekends, the business used to be really good. Last few years have been tough due to Covid and when we came back to work, we were told that the area will be redeveloped. With Rajpath (Kartavya Path) reopening now, we all are hoping that business will get back to normal,” said Kumar.

The refurbished avenue will have ample parking space to accommodate more than 1,000 cars on both sides of Kartavya Path, a big change for visitors who earlier had to depend on unauthorised parking lots allowed by the authorities so that the vehicles do not lead to traffic jams.

“The parking facility will be available free of cost for the first few months. But we have asked the NDMC to take over the parking lots,” said a senior housing and urban affairs ministry official.

The CPWD has created parking spaces for 1,117 cars and 40 buses. The parking lots are connected to the pedestrian underpasses so that visitors can easily access all the lawns.

Initially, parking for around 700 vehicles will be allowed. “In two parking lots, work related to the common central secretariat is going on. These will open after a few months,” said a CPWD official aware of the development.

A senior NDMC official said, “There are only two official parking areas around the stretch in the front area of Shastri Bhavan at Dr Rajendra Prasad Road and in front of Nirman Bhavan. Earlier, there was unauthorised parking behind the canals, which was being allowed to take place to avoid congestion and traffic jam on main arterial roads.”

The official added that the old parking areas were operating unofficially.

“For instance, the space near the Vigyan Bhavan was used for excess parking for government events and even during the Parliament sessions. Similarly, media vans were allowed to park near the fountain on Rajpath based on a request from the ministry of information and broadcasting but it was not an official parking lot. Under the new system, the parking will be streamlined,” the official said.

NDMC vice-chairman Satish Upadhyay said the council hasn’t been formally informed about the role it will be required to play in parking management. “We will inform the public about the details of parking management after an official handover or communication from CPWD. So far our role is restricted to providing basic obligatory functions,” he said.