Bhubaneswar: With the rehabilitation of street vendors evicted from Bada Danda (Grand Road) in Odisha’s Puri town getting delayed, Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development visited the town on Saturday to take stock of the project’s progress.
Padhee visited the vending zone currently under development near Sri Setu. She was briefed on the status of the project by officials from Puri Municipality, Additional District Magistrate, Puri and others. The displaced vendors expressed dissatisfaction over delay in their rehabilitation.
After making an assessment, Padhee expressed concern over the delay and directed the officials to take necessary measures to ensure completion of the project, paying special attention to the needs of the displaced vendors.
Following her visit, Padhee held a meeting with the District Collector Sidhartha Sankar Swain, SP Vinit Agrawal, Additional District Magistrate Kailash Chandra Naik, Executive Officer of Puri Municipality Abhimanyu Nayak and other officers. The discussion focused on expediting the rehabilitation process and addressing the grievances of the affected shopkeepers, who have been awaiting their resettlement.
The development of dedicated vending zones is a key part of the government’s broader urban development to support street vendors’ livelihood.
