Hyderabad Congress plans vending zones for revenue after evictions

The Story in Brief

After clearing roadside vendors and evicting the poor from government land to ease traffic congestion, the Hyderabad Congress government now plans to monetise those same spaces. It is preparing formal vending zones on government plots, starting at Ameerpet Junction and opposite Satyam Theatre, where shops will be rented to eligible vendors. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority’s transport wing is drawing up the proposal, which it presents as a three-in-one solution to protect public land, decongest roads, and provide organised spaces for street vendors.

Behind the urban-management language lies a financial motive. Cash-strapped urban local bodies see the zones as a recurring income stream without selling land or imposing fresh taxes ahead of the truncated GHMC elections. Officials admit more than 1,000 footpath encroachments were cleared but vendors returned quickly, often paying bribes. Ironically, of 127 vending zones identified earlier with marginal or no rentals, most remain unused because they are away from busy stretches, like the vacant stalls near Shilparamam and non-operational fish markets at Begum Bazaar and LB Nagar.