EO Municipal Council denies any such orders
Suhail Khan
Days after Sopore administration relocated the street vendors and hand cart owners to the new places for their routine bussiness, the street vendors have started encroaching the pavements once again citing directions from Executive Officer, Municipal Council Sopore.
Reports said that the street vendors and hand cart owners in Sopore have started encroaching the pavements and main market area forcibly.
The vendors claimed that Executive Officer, Municipal Council Sopore Sameer Jan directed them to install their carts in the market.
“Executive Officer, MC Sopore allowed us to install our bussines units back in the town as we were not able to gain any profits away from market.
We thank EO Sopore for allowing us to do our routine bussiness in the market,” a street vendor told Kashmir Despatch.
However, EO Municipal Council Sopore denies the allegation saying no one allowed them to encroach the road pavements.
The move of street vendors has aggrieved the people in the town especially the commuters and pedestrians who said that Sopore was witnessing a change and there were no traffic jams and mess in the town.
“There seems no cooperation between the administration. ADC Sopore orders relocation of street vendors while as EO Municipal Council allows them to install their hand carts back in the market.
Police is pushing them away from market while as political party members are instigating the vendors.
Sopore is being used as a testing lab by the administration.
There seems no cooperation between the stakeholders of the town, ” Shabir Ahmad, a resident of Sopore said.
Locals said that street vendors must be restricted to the assigned places as school opening will put more pressure on the roads.
“There will be more traffic jams if the street vendors are allowed to encroach the roads once again.
The schools are now open and we will witness more traffic in the town. The steps taken by administration are timely and much needed.
We need free and hassle free traffic movement in the town,” Shabir Ahmad, a commuter told Kashmir Despatch.
The locals of Sopore appealed the administration to look into the case and prohibit street vendors to encroach the roads once again. They however appealed the local people to visit the street vendors and help them in running their bussiness.
