By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 5 Aug: A significant milestone was reached on Wednesday in the effort to strengthen the framework regarding the rights and livelihoods of street vendors within the Mussoorie Municipal Council. The election for the Town Vending Committee (TVC)—being constituted for the first time in the municipality—was conducted in a peaceful, fair, and transparent atmosphere. The entire process, from voting to the counting of votes and the declaration of results, took place in the presence of the candidates, ensuring transparency.
Under the supervision of Municipal Council Executive Officer Gaurav Bhasin, empty ballot boxes were shown to and inspected by all candidates at 9 a.m. Subsequently, the formal sealing process was completed. Voting began at 9:30 a.m. Although the scheduled closing time was 11 a.m., an additional 15 minutes were granted to ensure no eligible voter was deprived of the opportunity to vote. Following the conclusion of voting at 11:15 a.m., the strong room was sealed in the presence of the candidates, and the counting of votes commenced immediately, followed by the declaration of results. A close contest was witnessed for the general category seats: Jyoti Rawat secured 49 votes, Godambari Devi 47, Sangeeta Devi 43, and Ajay Kumar 41. For the reserved seats, Vishal Kumar received 46 votes, Aman Rawat 44, and Kishore Tamta 7; for the minority seat, Aslam received 63 votes and Shahzad 33. The Town Vending Committee has been constituted under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act. This committee will play a pivotal role in designating vending zones within the municipal area, protecting street vendors’ rights, and ensuring their identification, rehabilitation, grievance redressal, and an organised vending system. This will provide institutional representation to vendors who have long been conducting business on footpaths and roadsides.
Gaurav Bhasin, Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, stated that the first election for the Town Vending Committee was conducted in a completely fair, peaceful, and transparent manner. Every stage of the voting and counting process took place in the presence of the candidates, thereby upholding the election’s credibility. He noted that the newly formed committee would foster better coordination between the town’s street vendors and the municipal administration, playing a pivotal role in developing an organised vending system while safeguarding the vendors’ rights. Following the vote count, both the winning and other candidates expressed their gratitude to the municipal administration for conducting the election process peacefully and fairly. The municipality believes that the formation of the TVC will lead to a more organised street vending system in Mussoorie and enable more effective resolution of issues concerning vendors.
