www.iaset.us editor@iaset.us A STUDY OF STREET VENDING ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTHEAST ZONE OF SURAT Bhasker Vijaykumar Bhatt 1 & Ayushi Dineshchandra Jariwala 2 1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology, Surat, Gujarat, India 2 Research Scholar, Town & Country Planning II, Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology, Surat, Gujarat, India ABSTRACT Street vending is pervasive across the globe, especially in developing nations. It is a significant activity related to the informal sector in urban areas. In India, the Largest concentration of street vendors in Mumbai has 0.25 million ,followed by Kolkata is having 0.2 million street vendors. This informal activity offers employment opportunities and livelihoods for urban weak, but the urban local authorities consider it to be an illegal activity. As per National Policy on the Urban Street Vendor, 2004 and 2009, Model Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihoods and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2009 - some initiatives are taken by the government. Other agencies, such as NASVI and SEWA, have played significant roles in encouraging suppliers to develop policies for street vendors.The paper discusses a survey conducted in the South-East administrative zone of Surat city administered by the municipal corporation. It was about understanding the perception and the extent of the street vending activity in the zone. The findings from the questionnaire-based survey are exciting and reveal many untold facts about the ground situation. KEYWORDS: Street Vending, Surat Municipal Corporation, Town Vending Committee (TVC) Article History Received: 14 Feb 2018 | Revised: 07 Mar 2018 | Accepted: 14 Mar 2018 INTRODUCTION Modernist town planners tend to think that the unregulated land use, informal housing and the informal economy are problems that must be solved (Boonjubun, 2017). In India, due to industrialization, urban migration and decline of the formal segment, street vending and hawking have become one of the principal means to make a living for the urban poor in India (Bandyopadhyay, 2009). Nowadays, street vending is a significant source of employment for many urban deficient because it requires low skills and small financial inputs. Today, modern street vending plays a vital role in the urban economy, as a source of jobs, revenue and ‘value added’ to the economy. Street vending provides a flexible link in commercial supply chains, gives vitality to urban streets and provides affordable goods and services for many urban residents. Yet, street vending exacerbates congestion at busy sites. International Journal of Civil Engineering (IJCE) ISSN (P): 2278-9987; ISSN (E): 2278-9995 Vol. 7, Issue 3, Apr – May 2018; 1-10 © IASET