Section 2 — Definitions.

2. Definitions.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

(a) “appropriate Government” means in respect of matters relating to,— 

(i) a Union territory without Legislature, the Central Government; 

(ii) the Union territories with Legislature, the Government of the National Capital Territory 

of Delhi or, as the case may be, the Government of Union territory of Puducherry; 

(iii) a State, the State Government; 

(b) “holding capacity” means the maximum number of street vendors who can in any vending 

zone and has been determined as such by the local authority on the commendations of the Town 

Vending Committee; 

(c) “local authority” means a Municipal Corporation or a Municipal Council or a Nagar 

Panchayat, by whatever name called, or the Cantonment Board, or as the case may be, a civil area 

committee appointed under section 47 of the Cantonment Act, 2006 (41 of 2006) or such other body 

                                                           
1. 1st May, 2014, vide notification No. S.O. 1185 (E), dated 1st May, 2014, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Sec. 3(ii). 

*. Vide notification No. S.O. 3912(E), dated 30th October, 2019, this Act is made applicable to the Union territory of Jammu and 

Kashmir and the Union territory of Ladakh. 



 

4 

 

entitled to function as a local authority in any city or town to provide civic services and regulate street 

vending and includes the “planning authority” which regulates the land use in that city or town; 

(d) “mobile vendors” means street vendors who carry out vending activities in designated area by 

moving from one place to another place vending their goods and services; 

(e) “natural market” means a market where sellers and buyers have traditionally congregated for 

the sale and purchase of products or services and has been determine das such by the local authority 

on the recommendations of the Town Vending Committee; 

(f) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette and the term “notify” shall 

be construed accordingly; 

(g) “planning authority” means an Urban Development Authority or any other authority in any 

city or town designated by the appropriate Government as responsible for regulating the land use by 

defining the precise extent of areas for any particular activity in the master plan or development plan 

or zonal plan or layout plan or any other spatial plan which is legally enforceable under the applicable 

Town and Country Planning Act or the Urban Development Act or the Municipal Act, as the case 

may be; 

(h) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act by the appropriate Government; 

(i) “Schedule” means the Schedule annexed to this Act; 

(j) “scheme” means a scheme framed by the appropriate Government under section 38; 

(k) “stationary vendors” means street vendors who carry out vending activities on regular basis at 

a specific location; 

(l) “street vendor” means a person engaged in vending of articles, goods, wares, food items or 

merchandise of everyday use or offering services to the general public, in a street, lane, sidewalk, 

footpath, pavement, public park or any other public place or private area, from a temporary built up 

structure or by moving from place to place and includes hawker, peddler, squatter and all other 

synonymous terms which may be local or region specific; and the words “street vending” with their 

grammatical variations and cognate expressions, shall be construed accordingly; 

(m) “Town Vending Committee” means the body constituted by the appropriate Government 

under section 22; 

(n) “vending zone” means an area or a place or a location designated as such by the local 

authority, on the recommendations of the Town Vending Committee, for the specific use by street 

vendors for street vending and includes footpath, side walk, pavement, embankment, portions of a 

street, waiting area for public or any such place considered suitable for vending activities and 

providing services to the general public. 

(2) Any reference in this Act to any enactment or any provision thereof, shall, in relation to an area in 

which such enactment or such provision is not in force be construed as a reference to the corresponding 

law, if any, in force in that area. 

STATE AMENDMENT 

Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir 

Section 2.-In sub-section (1), in clause (a), in sub-clause (ii), after “the Government of the National 

Capital Territory of Delhi”, insert “the Government of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir” 

[Vide Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Second 

Order, 2020, Notification No. S.O. 3465(E), dated (5-10-2020).] 

  



 

5 

 

CHAPTER II 

REGULATION OF STREET VENDING