The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans in order to relocate street vendors in a project modelled on Singapore’s success in managing problems arising from an abundance of street hawkers.
Bangkok has been plagued for decades by suppliers occupying pavements, even though supporters have usually argued that street vending is one associated with Bangkok’s main tourist magnets, helps boost the grassroots economy, contributes to the city’s vibrant social and cultural scene and offers a huge array of affordable as well as goods.
Opponents, however , state roadside vendors do not need to pay taxes while many ignore hygiene plus sanitary practices, in addition to obstruct traffic.
The ever-increasing numbers of street vendors have prompted Town Hall to come up with procedures to regulate them; however many hawkers have paid no heed and continue to take up pavements.
Some city authorities have also been accused associated with receiving kickbacks through vendors in exchange with regard to allowing them to hawk their merchandise on pavements.
Based on the BMA, in 2011 there was a total of 773 locations where investing was permitted upon footpaths temporarily.
The number has now been reduced to 171 after the govt worked with the previous Bangkok governor, Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang, to regulate street vending.
New governor’s policy
When Chadchart Sittipunt assumed the Bangkok governorship about 8 weeks ago, he promised to tackle unregulated vending on streets with the management of hawker centres within Singapore as a model. He instructed a team of advisers to come up with the best option.
Kessara Thanyalakpark, the governor’s chief strategy plus financial adviser, informed the Bangkok Post that Singapore’s creation of unique centres for hawkers to sell their items serves as the ideal design for regulating footpath vending in Bangkok.
Tackling unregulated street snack is one of the Bangkok governor’s 216 policies targeted at addressing Bangkok’s difficulties and turning the main city into a liveable town, Ms Kessara mentioned.
The girl said hawker centers are part of road hawker culture within Singapore which was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage object simply by Unesco on Dec 16, 2020.
“Other countries may also be trying to deal with this problem in a similar fashion to Singapore. But instead of calling them hawker centres, they may use different words, such as food courts and eateries or street foods, ” Ms Kessara said.
She said the particular team will devise a set of criteria for locations where off-street premises for relocated vendors will be built.
Criteria will also be set to determine which vendors are qualified to sell items at the new property.
They are expected to be complete by the end of this calendar year, she said.
“The areas may be in public locations or empty areas belonging to state organizations, or areas belonging to private companies which are interested in the task.
“The premises should be located by roadsides, or slightly deeper directly into sois. They should not be far away from the authentic locations occupied by vendors. There must also be enough customers within the areas to patronise them. Moreover, the particular locations should be easy to regulate, ” the lady said.
City Hall’s thessakij inspectors on the capital’s 50 area offices have been instructed to look for such places. Initially, more than one hundred locations have been regarded as suitable, Ms Kessara said.
“After the selection criteria are finished, City Hall will meet vendors and property owners for further speaks, ” she said.
“We’ve thought of some tentative criteria. For example , vendors would be required to generate no more than 360, 000 baht per year or even about 30, 000 baht per month in order to qualify. They would also be required to comply with sanitation regulations, ” the lady said.
But if vendor requirement outstrips the availability from the trading spaces, plenty may be drawn to choose who gets all of them, she said.
“These are just tentative. We still need some time for even more study to make sure genuine vendors get areas, not nominees working on others’ behalf, ” she said.
Ms Kessara said talks may also be held with banks and financial institutions to make sure vendors have access to financial loans to run their businesses.
“Many vendors are recognized to borrow money through loan sharks, which imposes heavy financial burdens on them, ” she said, referring to the high rates of interest.
“City Hall’s version of hawker centres is not a state welfare programme. The project is only intended to provide vendors with sustainable jobs and charge a fair lease. Goods will also be bought at affordable prices, ” the lady said.
“The success of the project will be evaluated by vendors’ compliance with cleanliness and orderliness rules, its contribution to the charm of the city, the ability to ensure eco friendly livelihoods for vendors and the availability of inexpensive food, ” Ms Kessara added.
Welcoming the project
Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, leader of the Senate committee on tackling poverty and disparities, supports the project.
Off-street premises should be arranged with regard to vendors to sell their particular goods and the lease must be fair, he said.
Vendors relocated off their previous locations needs to be given rights 1st, he added.
“City Corridor should take up the situation as a key strategy for city development, not just a short-lived plan to offer jobs and create revenue for the poor.
“Also, the project will boost the country’s appeal to international visitors. As we all know, Bangkok’s street food is renowned worldwide, inch he said.
Mr Sungsidh said City Corridor must invest in delivering spaces that fit the needs of each street vendors plus patrons while making certain orderliness, cleanliness plus hygiene are well managed.
“An online application should also be devised to support vendors’ trade and measures must be set up to shield them from some authorities who demand kickbacks, ” Mr Sungsidh said.
He said some foreign migrants also are muscling in the street food business because they are willing to pay larger kickbacks to authorities in exchange for hawking their goods.
“If Thailänder vendors are authorized on such an program, this problem will not happen, ” Mr Sungsidh said.
A street hawker called “Jiab” on Khao San Road said that while the girl welcomed the project, she was not certain if it could become real.
Efforts have been made to manage street vending for a long time, but little continues to be achieved, she stated.
“City Hall executives hardly come and fulfill vendors and listen to what they have to say. They tend to listen to their subordinates, some of whom possess vested interests, ” the vendor said. “Officials from district workplaces will be sent to perform the registration of vendors while City Hall’s executives will not see anything regarding themselves.
“So, vendors that have no right to take up trading spots are registered instead. Some foreign migrants who else befriend officials can also be allowed to sell, ” she said. “I want the new chief excutive to come and meet vendors in person, not just listen to officials, ” she added.
Waiwit Tongthongkham, a 40-year-old financial institution employee on Srinakarin Road, said meals are getting more expensive as the prices of ingredients and energy continue to keep rise.
” Aharn taam sang [cooked-to-order food] is now sold for 60-70 baht per dish while the bowl of noodles expenses 40-45 baht. The particular project should be able to react to the needs of workers in offices like us, inch he said.