Working conditions and quality of life street vendors in ahmedabad

International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research_____________________________ ISSN 2277-3630
IJSSIR, Vol. 4 (12), DECEMBER (2015), pp. 20-31
Online available at indianresearchjournals.com
20
WORKING CONDITIONS AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF STREET
VENDORS IN CITY OF AHMEDABAD
DR. AMBATI NAGESWARA RAO,
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK,
ASHWIN GEORGE GEORGE,
(LLB., BSW HONORS),
&
AALAY MINESHKUMAR SHAH,
(LLB., BSW HONORS)
GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, GANDHINAGAR
ABSTRACT:
Street vendors in the City of Ahmedabad are among the most deprived sections of the
informal sector or self-employed workers. This paper tries to portray the working conditions
of street vendors in Ahmedabad and their quality of life. The study is descriptive in nature and
the situations have been explained with the help of quantitative paradigm. For this study, the
researchers collected data from fifty respondents through random sampling. The findings of
the study cover socio-economic conditions, as well as working conditions and its impact on an
average street vendor's quality of life. Further, the findings also cover the working life of
vendors, which is explained in terms of their access to finance and the type of vending they
carry out, the amount of bribes they have to pay in order to sustain themselves in the market,
their working hours, the issues related to facilities available at vending places, public space
utilisation, and the legal aspect of their activity. The implications of the findings have also
been discussed in this paper.
KEY WORDS: Street vendors, quality of life, financial resources, working conditions.
Introduction
Most of the urban poor in India survive by working in the informal sector. The term informal
sector was originally used by W. Arthur Lewis, to describe the working culture of a particular
section. The people who are working in informal sectors are marginalised from the
mainstream business with regard to growth of urbanization and industrialization (Robert L.
And Tignor., Arthur Lewis, 2005). In the rapid urbanization, highly skilled and qualified
candidates will get the white-collar jobs, whereas under-skilled and under-qualified people
have to gain self-employment in informal sectors, which includes the profession of street
vending as well.
The term „Street Vendor, as quoted, in the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and
Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, means 'a person engaged in the vending of articles,
goods, wares, food items or merchandise of everyday use or offering services to the general
public, in a street, lane, side walk, footpath, pavement, public park or any other public place
or private area or from a temporary built up structure or by moving from place to place and

21
also includes hawker, peddler, squatter and all other synonymous terms which may be local
or region specific.' Further, this Act also mentions who can do street vending (Bare Act,
2014). As per the S.4(1) of the Act, 'Every street vendor, identified under the survey carried
out under sub-section (1) of section 3, who has completed the age of fourteen years or such
age as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government, shall be issued a certificate of
vending by the Town Vending Committee, subject to such terms and conditions and within the
period specified in the scheme including the restrictions specified in the plan for street
vending.'
As per the definitions given by WHO, the quality of life is described as “an
individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value system
in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns"
(World Health Organization, 1997). This definition indicates that the concept is one of a
broad range, which includes the person‟s physical health, psychological state, level of
independence, social relationships, personal beliefs and their relationships with the salient
features of their environment. Majority of the street vendors are migrants from rural areas
where poverty, as well as the lack of opportunities for gainful employment have pushed them
to look for better opportunities in the city. Thus, for the rural poor, street vending is the
easiest and most important means of earning a livelihood, because it requires only a low
financial input and relatively low skills as compared to other occupations. Lack of social
security is one of the major problems of all workers engaged in the informal sector (NCEUS).
The work of a street vendor as part of the larger informal sector, is full of insecurity and
uncertainty at the workplace. Even though this is the case, they do not get any social security
from the state. (Saha, Debdulal, 2012)
India‟s big cities confronted problems in the 1990s that were familiar to many cities
worldwide; increasing urbanization, congestion, deficits in formal job opportunities, and a
large growth in informal economies. As in other countries, the urban elites‟ drive to achieve a
“world class city” status generated large-scale evictions of street vendors in several cities, and
many small organizations of street vendors emerged to protest these evictions (Shalini Sinha
and Sally Roever, 2011). These protests were mostly confined to targeting local authorities
and resolving local issues regarding the use of public space for street vending.
Further studies show that over the past few decades there has been a substantial
increase in the number of street vendors in the major Indian cities. Mumbai has the largest
number of street vendors, numbering around 250,000, followed by Kolkata which has more
than 150,000 street vendors. Ahmedabad and Patna have around 80,000 each and Indore,
Bengaluru and Bhubaneshwar have around 30,000 street vendors (as quoted in Urban
Responses to Street Trading: India by Sharit K. Bhowmik, 2003).
Similarly, it is a well know fact that the rights of the street vendors are violated in
many of the cities in India. However, the Supreme Court has taken a different position. For
instance, more than a decade ago, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation evicted a common
street vendor, Sodhan Singh, who sold garments at Janpath in New Delhi. He appealed to the
Supreme Court through a Public Interest Litigation claiming that the act violated his
fundamental rights, and more specifically, his right to carry on business or trade according to
Article 19(1)(g) of the Indian Constitution. This significant Supreme Court Judgement
highlights the importance of street vending and the use of public space. The positive aspect
here is that street vending provides many essential commodities at a cheaper rate as has been

22
duly noted in the judgement of Sodhan Singh vs. N.D.M.C. and ors, 1989. The most
important aspect here is that street vendors are exercising their constitutional right to carry out
trade or business and hence it should be regulated properly and not abolished.
The common problems faced by street vendors imply that these can be tackled only at
the national level and not through makeshift local initiatives. There was thus a need for
forming a national organisation that could help co-ordinate activities of the associations of
street vendors and project these at a national level. SEWA had played an important role in the
Bellagio Declaration of 1998. In order to raise the points of the declaration, it initiated the
formation of the National Alliance of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) in September 1998 in
Ahmedabad, India, which is basically a coalition of trade unions and voluntary organisations
that work for street vendors spread all over Indian subcontinent. It mainly works for the basic
rights of street vendors. NASVI gives street vendors a common platform to unite and voice
their demands and rights. At present, more than 350 street vendor organisations from 22 states
of the country are a part of the Alliance. It creates awareness about the positive aspects of the
vendors and hawkers; and brings to light their troubles and plight, so that the urban planners
and authorities can no longer ignore them (Sharit K. Bhowmik, 2003).
Even though the government has started making laws for the welfare of street vendors,
this is a very slow and cumbersome process. Studies conducted by Bhowmik (2001) and
Anjaria (2006) have highlighted the problems of street vendors, which are mainly issues
related to street vendor‟s social protection, working conditions, credit accessibility, and their
public space utilization. Further, study again by Bhowmik (2001) on “Hawkers and the Urban
Informal Sector - A Study of Street Vending in Seven Cities”, which was conducted in
Imphal, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Patna, Kolkata , Bhubaneshwar and Bengaluru, indicates that
the street vendors have scarce resources for their trade and are usually driven to avail credit to
obtain goods. This study becomes of prime importantance, as it attempts to explore how the
financial accessibility is being operated among street vendors. Access to social security for
the street vendors is another major problem that has been stated by him. Studies indicate that
an extremely high proportion of vendors surveyed had suffered harassment, confiscation of
goods, fines or evictions. Almost half had suffered evictions, some with violence that further
caused injury. Therefore, the current study attempts to understand whether there have been
any changes in the working conditions and the quality of life of street vendors.
Research Objectives:
1. To assess the socio – economic conditions of street vendors in Ahmedabad City.
2. To determine the factors influencing the working conditions and quality of life of street
vendors.
Research Methodology
The present study is descriptive in nature, and thus has been used to describe all the problems
faced by street vendors in their day-to-day life. All the people who were living in Ahmedabad
City constituted the Universe of the study and the street vendors who were living in
Ahmedabad formed the Population of the study. Ahmedabad is the largest city in Gujarat,
India. It is the seventh largest city as well as a metropolitan area of India. The city is located
on the banks of the River Sabarmati, 32 km from the state capital Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The
city has established itself as the home of a booming textile industr).

23
This study was based on both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected by
using interview method. However, secondary data in the form of books, journals and census
reports was also used for the purpose of gathering more information and in aiding the
research. By using random sampling method, researchers collected data from fifty street
vendors, who are living in the Ahmedabad city area, including, Lal Darwaja, Teen Darwaja,
Kalupur Market, Gandhi Bridge Area, Vastrapur, IIM (Indian Institute of Management) area,
and Paras-Nagar. With the help of semi-structured interview schedule, the researchers
collected both quantitative and qualitative data. For analysing the quantitative data, frequency
distribution and cross tabulations were used.
Major Findings of the study
This section presents the findings of the study. The findings of the study mainly covered
demographic profile of the respondents, their socio-economic status, and also various
variables covered under working conditions of street vendors and their quality of life.
Demographic Profile of the study Respondents
The social demographic characteristics of the respondents are presented in Table 1.
Table 1 Demographic Profile of the study Respondents
Variables Male (N= 46)
n % (92)
Female (N= 04)
n % (08)
Total (N=50)
n % (100)
Age 15 - 35 23 (46) 03 (06) 26 (52)
36 - 55 18 (36) 01 (02) 19 (38)
56 + 05 (10) - 05 (10)
Caste General 22 (44) - 22 (44)
OBC 16 (32) 03 (06) 19 (38)
SC 08 (16) 01 (02) 09 (18)
Migrated from Gujarat 31 (62) 01 (02) 32 (64)
Western India 08 (16) 03 (06) 11 (22)
Eastern India 03 (6) - 03 (06)
Central India 04 (08) - 04 (08)
The percentage of male and female respondents was 92 and 08 respectively. The majority of
the respondent‟s (52 %) were in the age group of 15-35. Similarly, when the age category of
the respondents were compared to their gender, it was found that there was a higher number
of female respondents in the age group of 15-35 years and a lesser number in the age group of
above 36 - 55 year and surprisingly there were no female street vendors above 56 years of age
as compared with their male counter parts. Nearly, eighteen per cent of the respondents of the
study were found have migrated to Gujarat from different states.
Socio-Economic status of the Respondents
As it can see in the Table 2, it was clear that the majority (40%) of the respondents had
primary education. It was seen that the proportion of male respondents with higher secondary

24
education and graduate education, was much more than that of their female counterparts.
Interestingly, it was also observed some of the respondents who had completed graduate
education had either quit their white collar jobs because they found street vending a better
opportunity to earn money than their poor paying jobs or as in some other cases, they were
doing street vending as a part time job to supplement their other earnings.
Table 2 Socio-Economic status of the Respondents
Variables Male (N=46)
n % (92)
Female (N=04)
n % (08)
Total (N=50)
n % (100)
Educational status Illiterate 02 (04) 04 (08) 06 (12)
Primary 9 (18) 11 (22) 20 (40)
Secondary 11 (22) 7 (14) 18 (36)
Graduation 06 (12) - 06 (12)
Marital status Married 33 (66) 01 (02) 34 (68)
Unmarried 13 (26) 03 (06) 16 (32)
No. of family
members
1-5 23 (46) 01 (02) 24 (48)
6-10 20 (40) 03 (06) 23 (46)
11+ 03 (6) - 03 (06)
Type of Vending Mobile 22 (44) 03 (06) 25 (50)
Stationary 24 (48) 01 (02) 25 (50)
Income (Per day) Not disclosed 02 (04) - 02 (04)
Rs. 125 -250 10 (20) 02 (04) 12 (24)
Rs. 251 - 500 29 (58) 02 (04) 31 (62)
Rs. 500 + 05 (10) - 05 (10)
Further, the table also brought out that nearly 97% of the respondents were having 1-10
members in their family, which indicates that the majority of them were from joint families. It
can also be observed from the table, that half of the respondents were mobile vendors and an
equal number of respondents were stationary vendors. As regards marital status, 68 % of were
married and a very negligible number of the respondents were unmarried. Similarly, it was
also observed that very few numbers (10%) of respondents were getting more than Rs. 500/-
income per day.
Working conditions and quality of life of street vendors
This section covers the various variables related to the working conditions of the
selected respondents and their quality of life.

25
Table -3: Items vended and the suppliers who provide these items:
Items Vended
Kind of Suppliers
Moving in
streets (N=12)
n% = 24
Foot paths
(N=17)
n% = 34
Malls /stations
(N=21)
n% = 42
Grand Total
(N=50)
n% = 100
Vegetables & Fruits 04 (08) 03 (06) - 07 (14)
Stationeries 01 (02) - 04 (08) 05 (10)
Food items 02 (04) 03 (06) 02 (04) 07 (14)
Dress material 02 (04) 05 (10) 07 (14) 14 (28)
Watch, shoes, belts
etc
03 (06) 06 (12) 08 (16) 17 (34)
As is clear from table 3, nearly 50 percent of them are selling their items near malls or
stations, followed by foot paths (34 per cent), and 24 per cent of them are selling on the
streets, moving from place to place. Further, the table also shows that nearly 34 per cent of
them are selling watches, shoes, belts and necessary items which are used in day to day life,
followed by dress material, food items, vegetables and stationeries.
Per-day income level corresponding to the number of hours spends in vending:
Establishing income data from surveys is notoriously unreliable, either because people are
reluctant to disclose information, or because they do not accurately record their earnings.
However, the researcher tried to get accurate data from the participants and this has been
presented in the below Table.
Table 4: Per-day Income level corresponding to Hours Spend in Vending
Hours Committed
to Vending
Per-Day Income Level
(In Rupees only)
<250
(N=13)
n% = 26
250-500
(N=31)
n% = 62
500-1000
(N=6)
n% = 12
Total
(N=50)
n% = 100
4-7 hrs 01 (02) 01 (02) - 2 (04)
7-12 hrs 07 (14) 15 (30) 2 (04) 24 (48)
12+ hrs 5 (10) 15 (30) 4 (08) 24 (48)
As per Table 4, out of 50 respondents, majority (62 per cent) of the respondents were earning
daily income on an average 250 – 500 rupees per day, followed by less than 250 rupees by 26

26
per cent and a very low number of respondents reported that their daily income reaches from
500 to 1000 rupees. Further, the findings also reveal that the respondents having the highest
earning capacities of Rs 250-500 and Rs.500-1000 belonged to the criteria of vendors,
vending for 7-12 hrs and 12+ hrs, i.e. those respondents who are vending for more time have a
higher income level than other respondents.
Manner of Display of items for vending:
The following figure 1 depicts the findings of respondent‟s manner of display of items in the
market place.
As per Figure 1, half of the respondents were displaying their wares/items on carts. Therefore
they could easily move away in case of any trouble from the authorities or in case of any
weather change, followed by 30% of them in open places and the remaining 20% of the
respondents had stalls for displaying their wares. Further, the findings brought out that,
majority of the vendors had only a temporary structure such as umbrella or a plastic sheet
covering, to protect them and their goods. Thus, the majority of respondents are exposed to
elements of nature while vending. Respondents also stated that in the summer season it is a
very hard task to spend many hours vending, due to high levels of heat and thus they mostly
do their business during the evenings and the mornings. Also, the business is not possible
during monsoons due to heavy rains and due to lack of proper structure to protect their goods.
Entities creating trouble and daily amounts paid in bribes to them:
The incidence of giving bribes was much higher in the markets in western Ahmedabad than
eastern Ahmedabad. The below Table 5 presents bribes paid by the respondents of the study.

27
Table 5: Amount paid in bribes daily to entities creating trouble
Bribe Paid In Daily Amount
(In Rupees only)
<300
(N=25)
n% = 50
300 -500
(N=11)
n% = 22
Nil
(N=14)
n% = 28
Total
(N=50)
n% = 100
Municipality staff 06 (12) - - 06 (12)
Police 19 (38) 11 (22) - 30 (60)
Not paid to any one - - 14 (28) 14 (28)
As per Table 5, except 28 per cent of the participants, the rest of them were paying bribes
daily to continue their business. Further, the narratives of the respondents who are not paying,
state that, nobody was creating any trouble for them and they weren't paying bribes of any
sort to anybody. On the other hand, the table also reveals something not so surprising, that,
more number (i.e 60 per cent) respondents are paying bribes to the Police officials, whereas
only 12 per cent respondents are paying bribes to the Municipality staff members. Thus, it
also indicates that fifty of the respondents were paying on an average Rs. 300/- to one or the
other person to continue their business. The amount appears to be on the higher for street
vendors those who are working on streets and foot paths without any proper security and
protection of their livelihood.
Financial sources
The access to financial sources for street vendors depends on the type of the goods they sell
and the volume of trade. Street vending, as a profession, is heterogeneous in nature. All
vendors do not have the same kind of access to financial sources, since vending is based on a
daily turnover.
Table -6: Percentage of Interest paid to people providing credit to Respondents
Financial sources Percentage of Interest Paid monthly
Nil
(N=27)
n% = 52
5-10 %
(N=23)
n% = 48
Grand Total
(N=50)
n% = 100)
Friends 03 (06) - 03 (06)
Local Moneylender - 13 (26) 13 (26)
Own Money 19 (38) - 19 (38)
Relatives 04 (08) 06 (12) 10 (20)
Wholesaler 01 (02) 04 (08) 5 (10)

28
As per Table 6, except 38 per cent of the respondents, remaining all of them was depending
on others for financial support to run their vending business. Further, it was also seen that a
higher number of respondents depend on local money lenders and a much lesser number
depend on their friends. On the other hand, when we look at the variable of financial support
based on interest paid, nearly 48 per cent of them were paying 5-10% of interest for the
amount they borrowed, which is very high for common people like street vendors.
Interestingly it was also found that the respondent‟s friends and some of their relatives and
also their wholesale dealers, were also not charging any interest amount from them, due to
their mutual understanding and repaying capacity. Thus, it also shows a decreasing
dependence of street vendors on moneylenders, which is a good sign.
Facilities available to Respondents:
Many of the research study findings revealed that, health problems aren't completely absent
among street vendors of any age group. Further, the study also revealed that the long hours of
vending, and the resulting tension and also being exposed to the different elements of nature,
has not left any of the respondents entirely healthy and that most of them will have resulting
health problems some time or the other. The health problems and quality of living conditions
depends on the availability of facilities to the street vendors. The below Figure 2 depicts the
facilities available to the street vendors.
As per Figure 2, when asked about the various facilities available to the street vendors, it was
very sad to know that, only toilet facility seems to be satisfactory, followed by dirking water.
They don‟t have a place to take a five minute rest or a small nap. Further, it also reveals that
they don't even have over head shade in vending places. Therefore, it can be concluded that
the condition of street vendors is very pathetic, and they don't even have the most basic
facilities.

29
Working conditions of Respondents:
Further, the researchers were also interested to know about the general views of respondents
on their working conditions. The Table 7 represents the findings of the participants.
Table-7: General Views of Street vendors on their working conditions
General Views of
Research Participants
Answers
Grand Total
Agree Disagree Neutral
Proper location 11 (22) 37 (74) 02 (04) 50 (100)
Free from harassment 26 (52) 23 (46) 01 (02) 50 (100)
Safety & Security at
work place
19 (38) 22 (44) 09 (18) 50 (100)
Rising competition 28 (56) 19 (38) 03 (06) 50 (100)
As per Table 7, when asked as to whether the location for vending was a proper location, only
22 per cent of them reported that they have a proper location for their vending. The table also
shows that nearly 52 per cent of them are free from harassment, followed by only 38 per cent
of them agreeing that they are safe and secure at their work place. Further, 56 per cent of them
opined that competitions are rising day by day in their business.
Overall, the general Views of respondents towards their working conditions reveal
that, they were satisfied with only the safety and security in their workplace, while they were
disappointed with their location of vending and the case of being harassed in their workplace
and also the rising competition is very high.
Legal Scenario:
Like financial support, the legal support or at least awareness about their rights, being
members of some trade unions or associations is very important to get the necessary support
and to address the issues of harassment and corruption. With regard, to legal support and
awareness, the researcher posed some questions to respondents to check whether they are part
of any associations or trade unions. The below Table 8 present the findings about the legal
support.

30
Table -8: Legal support received by the respondents
Questions
Answers
Total
Yes No
Are you registered with a street vendor trade union? 12 (24) 38 (76) 50 (100)
Are you aware of NASVI (National association
street vendors of India)?
02 (04) 48 (96) 50 (100)
Are you actively involved in trade union activities? 12 (24) 38 (76) 50 (100)
Are you aware of Street Vendors Act, 2014? 06 (12) 44 (88) 50 (100)
As per Table 8, more than nearly 80% of the respondents are not aware about the questions
raised by the research such as Street Vendor Trade Union, NASVI, and Street Vendor Act,
2014. Therefore, one can conclude that almost all the respondents are unaware about their
legal rights and they are not actively organised to deal with their problems collectively.
Therefore, it can be concluded that, due to lack of awareness about legal support and about
trade unions; they are not able to solve their problems. It is strongly suggested that, it is
always to better to associate with trade unions, be members of associations and be aware
about legal support, which can in turn help in raising voice to fight against injustice in a
collective manner.
Conclusion
Street vendors are an integral part of human society. The findings of the study on street
vendors revealed precarious conditions of work and life, involving an extensive workload,
very low sales and profits, and no guarantee as to safety and security. When such street
vendors fall ill or are injured they do not have any option to depend on any other person for
continuing their business. It is very important to recognise that to improve the quality of life
of street vendors, their working conditions should be improved.
In order to achieve this the researchers also noticed that the street vendors should join
various trade unions, associations, and also get the memberships of national and international
organizations to avoid harassment from police and municipal authorities. It is also very
important that they should have a basic legal knowledge and readily available legal support.
Also they must get registered as Street Vendors as per the provisions of The Street Vendors
(Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. This in turn can lead
to improvement in the quality of life and the quality of working conditions, of every
individual street vendor

31
References
Anjaria, Sapiro J. (2006). “Street hawkers and Public space in Mumbai”, Economic and
Political weekly, May 27, pp 2140-46
Bare Act (2014) The Street Vendors (Protection Of Livelihood And Regulation Of Street
Vending) Act, 2014, Commercial Law House, Delhi
Bhowmik, S. K. (2001). “Hawkers in the Urban Informal Sector: A Study of Street vendors in
Seven Cities”, National alliance of street Vendors in India (NASVI).
www.streetnet.org.za/English/page10.htm
Bhowmik, K. S., (2003). „Urban Responses to Street Trading: India‟, Street Vendors: A
symposium on Reconciling People‟s livelihood and Urban Governance.
Mahadevia, Brown, Lyons, Vyas, Jajoo, Mishra, (2013). Street Vendors in Ahmedabad:
Status, Contribution and Challenges, CUE Working Paper 21, CEPT University
Robert L., Tignor., and Arthur Lewis (2005). The Birth of Development Economics,
Princeton, University Press, America
Saha, Debdulal (2012), Street vendors in Mumbai an exploration within the framework of
decent work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Sinha, Shalini and Roever, Sally, (2011) Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and
Organizing, India’s National Policy on Urban Street Vendors, Page 2-4
Sodan Singh vs. New Delhi Municipal Committee and ors, 1989(4) SCC 155
World Health Organization (1997) Measuring Quality of life. Available online at
http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/68.pdf, accessed it on 24th
November 2015

Working conditions and quality of life street vendors in ahmedabad

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Working conditions and quality of life street vendors in ahmedabad

Similar to Working conditions and quality of life street vendors in ahmedabad (20)

More from Ambati Nageswara Rao

More from Ambati Nageswara Rao (15)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Working conditions and quality of life street vendors in ahmedabad