New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has declared the Nehru Place District Centre, except for a designated portion, as a “No-hawking zone” and “No-vending zone”, while permitting 90 identified vendors to operate from an alternative site till the Town Vending Committee-II (TVC-II) takes a decision on their vending rights.  A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Dinesh Bhatt passed the direction while dealing with a batch of petitions and a contempt case concerning hawking and vending activities in the Nehru Place area.The High Court said that photographs taken as recently as September 26, placed on record by both the petitioners and respondents, left “no manner of doubt” that the declaration of Nehru Place District Centre as a no-hawking and no-vending zone deserved to be confirmed.The judgment took note of the protection available to certain vendors under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, as well as a recent Supreme Court decision, stressing the need to provide workable alternatives to vendors displaced from no-vending zones.

The High Court said, “In terms of the aforesaid decision, if the street vendors are vending in a ‘No-vending zone’, the MCD or the concerned authority has a duty to assist them in moving from a ‘No-vending zone’ to a vending zone, so as to provide the street vendors with a workable alternative from where they can earn their livelihood.”The Delhi High Court was referring to the Supreme Court’s April 9, 2026, decision, which held that the removal of vendors must be carried out with care, fairness and responsibility, and that authorities should actively assist them in shifting to designated vending zones.The Justice Singh-led Bench noted that more than 400 vendors were presently vending in the Nehru Place District Centre, “most of whom are clearly unauthorised”. It identified 90 vendors as having the relevant protection or recognition in the connected proceedings -- 62 vendors associated with Manushi Sangathan, 22 vendors in W.P.(C) 6823/2017, and six vendors in two other connected petitions.“Under these circumstances, bearing in mind that the TVC-II is about to be constituted and these vendors have been vending in this area for several years, the above-mentioned vendors shall be permitted to vend at Site X marked in the map below,” the judgment said.

The High Court directed the 90 vendors listed in Annexure A to move to the designated Site X by October 12, 2026.It clarified that the TVC-II, after its constitution, would decide whether vendors were entitled to Certificates of Vending and, if so, the area where they would be permitted to vend. The decision has to be taken within two months of the constitution of the TVC-II.“Insofar as the Nehru Place District Centre area, except the identified portion above as marked X, the entire Nehru Place District Centre is declared as a ‘No-hawking zone’ and ‘No-vending zone’,” the Justice Singh-led Bench said.It further directed that after October 12, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be free to remove all unauthorised vendors from the area.It also directed the Delhi Fire Services to conduct an inspection of the Nehru Place District Centre after the unauthorised vendors were removed and file a compliance report.The Delhi Police have also been directed to cooperate with the MCD and DDA to ensure compliance with the judgment. The matter will be listed on November 30, for consideration of the compliance report of the Delhi Fire Service.

/ IANS