Vikramaditya Singh and Yogi Adityanath
Like the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh, in Himachal too, Congress government minister Vikramaditya Singh had talked about making nameplates compulsory for street vendors, but within 24 hours his statement was denied. Vikramaditya Singh had announced that it would be compulsory for street vendors to display their names. Rules will be made for this. His statement was heavily criticized. Many Congress leaders themselves criticized Vikramaditya’s statement. After this, the Himachal Pradesh government said on Thursday that no such decision has been taken. After the intervention of the Congress leadership and the displeasure of some party leaders, the Himachal Pradesh government clarified that no official decision has been taken to display the names of shopkeepers.
Himachal’s Public Works and Urban Development Minister Singh had told the media on Wednesday that it would be mandatory for people setting up shops on the pavement, especially those selling food items, to show identity cards at the shop. He had said that this decision has been taken on the lines of the decision taken by the Uttar Pradesh government. Party sources say that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla and then Shukla conveyed Kharge’s ‘sentiment’ to Vikramaditya. Rajiv Shukla said that no decision has been taken by the government to display the name of the shopkeepers, rather this came on the basis of the recommendation of a committee of the Assembly, which aims to regulate shops and hawkers. He said that unlike Uttar Pradesh, shopkeepers in Himachal Pradesh are not required to display their names or photos.
statement of vikramaditya singh
Vikramaditya Singh had said, “We have decided to make it mandatory for street vendors to display identity cards (ID cards) issued by the street vendors committee, on the lines of the format adopted by the Uttar Pradesh government, which had put forward this idea.” The state government said in a statement that it has not taken any decision that makes it mandatory for street vendors to display ‘name plates’ or any other identification.
The policy was made under the chairmanship of Harshvardhan Chauhan
According to the statement, last week, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania had constituted a seven-member committee headed by Industry Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan to formulate a policy for ‘street vendors’. The decision to register outside workers with their identities came after massive protests a few weeks ago over the demolition of alleged unauthorised parts of a mosque in Sanjauli. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jairam Thakur on Thursday said Singh should stand by his statement.
Vikramaditya should stick to his statement- Jairam Thakur
Thakur, the leader of opposition in the Himachal Assembly, said, “If Vikramaditya Singh has talked about implementing a policy on the lines of the Uttar Pradesh government for street vendors, he should stick to his statement.” Citing alleged incidents of spitting and urine being mixed in food items, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday ordered food shop operators, owners and managers to mandatorily display their names and addresses at the shops. He also ordered that cooks and waiters should wear masks and gloves, and made it mandatory for hotels and restaurants to install CCTV cameras.
Statement of Rajiv Shukla
Rajiv Shukla said, “We have talked to the Chief Minister (Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu) and Vikramaditya Singh. The Assembly Speaker had formed a committee to give licenses to street vendors. But it is not like they will have to put up a board outside saying this is the name. This is to regulate street vendors.” He said, “This is not the ‘Yogi pattern’. In Uttar Pradesh, they do it from a political and communal point of view. It is not like this here.”
There was opposition in the Congress itself
Some Congress leaders openly opposed this issue. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Rai said, “This will harass common traders, street vendors, dhaba owners, this law should be withdrawn.” He said that such a step will promote ‘inspector raj’. Former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T S Singhdeo told ‘PTI Video’, “This is my personal opinion. The goods being sold in a shop should have a name, not the shopkeeper. When a shop opens, it is registered and a certificate is given which they have to keep.” Some other Congress leaders, on the condition of anonymity, said that they do not agree with this stand of the Himachal Pradesh government.
(Input- PTI language)
