Noida: Hawkers who have been allotted stalls at the vending zone near Botanical Garden metro station are yet to leave the Atta Market, opposite sector 18. Only two hawkers from the market have shifted to the vending zone despite an intense campaign by the Noida Authority last year to remove encroachments. Munishwar Singh ran his garment shop at the Atta market but has now shifted to the vending zone near the Botanical Garden metro station.He said that the new vending zone is a big relief as the rent charged there is relatively more convenient. Earlier at the Atta market, we had to spend Rs 1,500 every day for rent. But at the Botanical Garden vending zone, the rent charged is Rs 3,000 monthly to the Authority. However, most hawkers still prefer to keep their shops at the Atta market, said Singh.Another shopkeeper at Sector 27 Atta market suggested that the reason why most vendors dont wish to shift their shops is because they have spent more than a decade sitting in the same spot selling their goods. We are all here to earn our livelihood, and the new vending zone has fewer business opportunities as people are not aware of it. So, by shifting there our daily earnings will be impacted, said the shopkeeper. Similarly, Guddi Devi who runs a small tea shop at the vending zone near Botanical Garden said, The business here picks up well for a few days and then there are dull days. If other vendors come here too, it will help the business and establish the market.After the anti-encroachment drive on November 23 last year, no vendor was seen on the footpaths for a few weeks. But gradually the hawkers returned to the Atta market foot path encroaching it completely, leaving no or little space for pedestrians and slowing down the traffic as people park their vehicles on the road for purchases. The hawkers also block the passageway to the metro station in Sector 18.The anti-encroachment drive has been of no effect. Neither to the shopkeepers putting up their stalls on the footpath nor to the unregulated parking of two-wheelers, said a shopkeeper in Sector 27.We have been sending teams to monitor the situation and hawkers are often fined for selling their goods on the footpath which is unauthorised. Despite several warnings, they have not vacated the place. So, we will soon plan our meeting with them, convincing them to shift to the new vending zone and help them in every possible manner to make their business profitable at the new designated place, said Vijay Rawal, deputy general manager, Noida authority.

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