The Street Vendors Association Nagaland (SVAN) has backed the Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (CNCCI) call for the functional implementation of Town Vending Committees (TVCs) across the state, saying the committees are necessary to protect street vendors from harassment, extortion and arbitrary evictions.
In a statement, SVAN said street vendors and hawkers across Nagaland had “for decades” endured “relentless harassment, illegal extortion, deep-rooted corruption, unauthorized taxation by various groups, and arbitrary evictions”.
The association, formed in 2020 by street vendors themselves, said it came into existence after its members experienced firsthand the struggles and exploitation faced by vendors at the hands of various entities and organisations.
It said it had repeatedly appealed to the Department of Urban Development and local municipal authorities for the constitution and proper functioning of TVCs across districts.
SVAN added that it had continued its efforts to protect vendors’ livelihoods through “disciplining, educating, and sensitizing” them.
SVAN asserted that the immediate constitution and activation of “legitimate, fully operational Town Vending Committees (TVCs) across all districts” was the only concrete, legally binding mechanism to protect micro-entrepreneurs and bring vendors under a common legal framework.
Citing the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, the association said street vendors’ associations had a legally mandated role in representation and democratic decision-making within TVCs.
It said that, once functional, the committees would allow vendors’ associations to move beyond being “a mere protest group” and become “a legal co-governing partner”, with statutory powers to secure benefits for their members.
According to SVAN, registered and authorised representatives of vendors’ associations are designated statutory members of TVCs and sit alongside municipal bodies, town planners and police officials in implementing the provisions of the Act.
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The association further said TVCs serve as the nodal bodies for implementing state and central welfare schemes, giving SVAN an opportunity to work alongside the administration to safeguard vendors’ rights and livelihoods.
SVAN has appealed to the Chief Secretary, the Department of Urban Development and local municipal councils to act in line with the CNCCI’s call and notify functional TVCs across all districts without further delay.
It said fully operational committees could provide vendors with legal vending permits, official identity cards and a structured regulatory framework, helping create a “fair, secure, and transparent commercial environment” across Nagaland.
The statement was issued by the Media Cell, Office of the Street Vendors Association, Nagaland, headquartered at Churches Colony, Dimapur.
