The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) is soon going to launch the pilot project for the smart vending zone at Chhe Number Puliya. Municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said they are waiting for all 50 smart trolleys to be made after which the project will be launched. The tentative date for the launch to organise is on October 15.

Giving further details he said, “As a pilot project for making a smart vending zone, basic infrastructure at Chhe Number Puliya is being developed. From pathways to necessary arrangements for proper sanitation — everything is being taken care of. In addition to that we are also introducing symmetrical trolleys for vendors, each with capacity to hold 400 kilogrammes. The vendors will be paying Rs 2,000 to MCD as monthly tax. After the launch we will observe the situation at the vending zone, if the project turns out to be satisfactory we will introduce the same infrastructure at other places also.”

He added, “For the pilot project we are providing these trolleys to 50 vendors as there are only 50 licensed vendors there. The vendors and their trolleys will now have a unique ID which MCD employees will be able to check through QR code at anytime during surprise visits. The trolleys will also have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), so that only the vendor himself can operate it. We expect that through these means we will also be able to identify vendors who are operating illegally in the municipal area.”

According to MCD officials, the smart trolleys are being provided by a private entity under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

Cost of one trolley is about Rs 1,10,000 but the vendors are being assisted under National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM). The trolleys will also have solar panel which will have the capacity to give at least eight hours of electricity.  

Lack of systematic vending zones at different places in the city is a major concern as it causes traffic congestion and other civic problems.