The ruling BJP in Assam today said that retail trade conducted from footpaths across Guwahati will be brought under the predominance of indigenous people.
A press release issued by the party said that the Himanta Biswa Sarma government will give priority to indigenous residents in conducting business within Guwahati, which is now mostly in the hands of non-locals or suspected illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
It said that based on a comprehensive survey scheduled to be conducted between August and September this year, the Assam Government will identify and regulate retail establishments currently operated by non-local individuals.
The release mentioned that this was announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a media conclave held on June 13 at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati.
BJP spokesperson Brojen Mahanta welcomed the move, which he described as an innovative initiative of the NDA government. He noted that more than one lakh individuals are presently conducting business through by encroaching footpaths across Guwahati, entirely outside the legal framework. According to him, over 80 percent of these operators are either non-local or migrant individuals. He further stated that these traders generate substantial daily revenues amounting to thousands of rupees while contributing no tax revenue to the government. Although the majority of Guwahati’s residents belong to indigenous communities, commercial activities and trade, he claimed, are increasingly coming under the control of non-local and migrant groups. Mahanta alleged that, in the absence of any regulatory oversight, such traders have occupied public footpaths indiscriminately, creating unhygienic conditions across the city. He also claimed that discarded materials from these businesses frequently clog drainage systems, contributing to artificial flooding during the monsoon season. Furthermore, the proliferation of such unregulated establishments has, according to him, exacerbated traffic congestion throughout the city. In light of these concerns, he said the proposed survey would help identify such operators and facilitate the establishment of an organized system under which indigenous residents would be given priority in conducting business within Guwahati. He also referred to the Chief Minister’s earlier announcement regarding the formal organization of footpath-based commerce, with designated vending zones to be created beneath newly constructed flyovers and at other locations identified by the administration, where trading permissions would be reserved exclusively for indigenous people.
