July 2013 ~ Experience in Vending Zone

Sunday 21 July 2013

Getting Started : Day 1

For the purpose of the study on Bhubaneswar's Vending Zones we chose three vending zones operating under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation which include :

1) Ram Mandir Square Vending Zone, in Ward no 36, With 78 Shops

2) Gajalakshmi Vending Zone, Unit 9, in Ward no 36, With 27 shops

3) Maa Vendor Association, Housing Board Square, Unit 9, with 42 Shops.

DAY 1:

We started off from the biggest vending zone, the Ram Mandir Square Vending Zone. The Vending zone is situated besides Janpath, a busy thoroughfare, and is flanked by the Ram Mandir on the right and Big Bazaar in the front.

The vending zone typically deals with three types of goods

1)Books and Stationery

2)Florists

3)Food Counters

The Vending zone is a fairly large one and we will over a period of time collect data and try to see first hand the life of the vendors and the vending zone in itself.

signing off for now...

Till the next post ..Good Bye

Bhubaneswar's Business On Streets- A Study of the BMC Vending Zones.

02:21 No comments

Street Vending in India and elsewhere has been characterized by the debate over individual right to work and collective right to public space. Amid this backdrop the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with an unique model that seeks to enable urban 'business on streets' while also making sure that the beautification and cleanliness of the city landscape is not compromised.

The concept of the vending zone as practiced in Bhubaneswar perfectly qualifies the theme of 'making market work for the poor'. This is a pioneering lead taken to develop an exclusive market for the vendors which presents all the combinations needed for conducting a healthy business.

Aesthetic & organized shops, prime locations, clean surroundings, provision of electricity and above all imparting a peace of mind and sense of security among the street vendors. The new markets now hold a legal status.

So this study is an attempt by the Students of Rural Management at "Xavier Institute of Management" to try and capture the spirit and energy that is on display despite the hardships that the vendors face every day in the process of eking out a living.