Spatial Injustice, Delhi Vendor Project

The project is a study of the spatial injustice prevailing within the market areas of Delhi, for this purpose five markets namely Lajpat Nagar, Ajmal Khan Road, Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk market stretch, and Sarojini Nagar market area documented and studied at different times with respect to spatial politics, encroachment, space allotment, legality, etc. Though street vending has been widely recognized and encouraged in most parts of the world, in the national capital it is still seen as a nuance, the community is harassed and exploited by the shop owners and authorities. In the case of Delhi's historic marketplaces (Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place) or designed market areas post-independence (Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar), have transformed the need and desires of the city. a complex system but over time they are not serving the immediate neighborhood but beyond, the the purpose for which it was envisaged and planned for have changed e.g Nehru A place for envisioned as an office area but in reality after being vacant for a long time is catering to the IT demands and vendors. Also, there is differential treatment by authorities when it comes to dealing with encroachment. The extremely vulnerable in these market spaces are those hawkers who are mobile and walk throughout the market to sell their products. Hawkers who set up shops in front of the shops usually get less harassed as they pay the shopkeeper to set up shop in front. Apart from it buying them some space it also buys them some security. The encroachment by the shop owners is also often overlooked by the police. There is a defined hierarchy within different types of sellers, mobile vendors, vendors, hawkers, teh bazaari, shop owners, and showroom owners similar to the caste system. Keywords: Spatial Injustice, Informal market ecosystem, Market Areas