No decision for mandating display of nameplates so far: Himachal government

A day after minister Vikramaditya Singh’s remarks over mandatory display of owner details by street vendors, Himachal government on Thursday said it has not taken any decision on nameplates or other identification by the vendors on their stalls so far.

In a statement, a government spokesperson said the government was committed to address the concerns of street vendors of the state and would consider all suggestions carefully before taking any decision.

The development comes a day after Congress government and urban development minister Vikramaditya Singh, shared a post on social media, stating that every restaurant and fast food stall in the state will have to display the owner’s ID so people do not face any kind of problem.

“It was decided in the meeting that all the street vendors’ especially those selling food items, display their IDs to make sure that hygienic food is sold. Moreover, people have also raised some concerns and doubts. So, understanding this we have decided to implement a similar policy like in Uttar Pradesh, strictly here as well,” the minister told the reporters on Wednesday.

Sources said the Congress’ central leadership intervened, prompting the state government’s clarification. The party’s Himachal in-charge Rajiv Shukla said he has discussed the issue with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Vikramaditya Singh.

“They [vendors] will be given licences and regulated so that police do not harass them. The designated places will require identification such as Aadhaar cards and licences, but there is no requirement for them to display a sign stating their name as the owner,” Shukla told media persons in Jammu.

A spokesperson of the Himachal government, meanwhile, on Thursday said numerous suggestions have been received from different sections of society regarding the street vendor’s policy. So far, the government has not taken any decision to mandatorily display nameplates or other identification by the vendors on their stalls.

The government said a committee, consisting of both Congress and BJP MLAs, has already been constituted to address the matter. The committee was chaired by parliamentary affairs minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and includes rural development and panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh, Vikramaditya Singh and MLAs Anil Sharma, Satpal Satti, Randhir Sharma and Harish Janartha.

The committee will review suggestions of various stakeholders, before submitting its recommendations to the State Government.

“Once their detailed recommendations are submitted, the Cabinet would carefully evaluate them before making any final decisions on the matter,” the government spokesperson said.