Management of Urban Street Vending in Ahmedabad:Issues and Challenges

Urban Street Vending (USV) has raised important issues and challenges for its management in India. USV straddles livelihood of the people at the vulnerable 'bottom of the pyramid' on one hand, and on the other, congestion and encroachment on the roads. USV needs to be managed by balancing the needs and concerns of different stakeholders, which are often at conflict with one another. This paper traces the background of USV in India, specifically Ahmedabad, and explores the issues and challenges to management of USV as faced by the street vendors and the managers of the Municipal Corporation, ahead of forming guidelines to implement the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, passed in 2013-14.