Jaipur Municipal Corporation is preparing designated vending zones, possible vehicle restrictions and ward-wise cleanliness drives for the Diwali rush in the Walled City, while traders are pressing for verandahs and footpaths to be cleared of temporary stalls and encroachments.
Mayor Sunil Kothari has appealed to traders to keep the verandahs outside their shops free of encroachments. At the same time, he said the civic body would consider the needs of small vendors who depend on the festive season to earn a significant share of their annual income.
“Vending zones will be created for small vendors soon. Focus is on providing people across all sections with means to meet their needs,” Kothari said, according to the report. The proposed vending areas could include designated parking spaces where sellers of diyas, flowers, sugarcane, lac products and bangles may be allowed to set up temporary stalls.
The arrangement is intended to address two competing demands in the Walled City’s narrow commercial areas. Traders want verandahs, footpaths and access routes cleared to reduce congestion, while vendors require visible and accessible locations during one of the busiest selling periods of the year. The civic body has not yet announced the final locations or operating conditions for the proposed zones.
Kothari also said the corporation would discuss with the police a proposal to restrict four-wheelers in the Walled City’s main markets for three days during Diwali. The proposed restriction is still under consideration and would require coordination between the municipal corporation, police and market stakeholders.
Sanitation is another part of the civic body’s festival preparations. A ward-wise cleanliness drive is planned across Jaipur, but the corporation faces a shortage of sanitation workers. Deploying staff for special drives in one ward can leave other areas with inadequate routine cleaning.
Kothari acknowledged that special campaigns can affect regular services elsewhere. He said the corporation would limit the redeployment of workers during the Diwali drive, with only 40% of the manpower from other wards to be used. He added that the campaign would be conducted two days a week and said its impact on other wards would not be significant.
The condition of narrow and dirty bylanes in the Walled City remains a separate concern. Kothari said these lanes should have been cleaned before the monsoon and that the agency would now address the problem as part of the preparations.
The final vending locations, the proposed vehicle restrictions and the implementation schedule for the cleanliness campaign remain to be announced by the municipal corporation and the police.
