Sikkim traders seek unconditional allotment of hawker tables

Members of the All Sikkim Traders Association have urged the Urban Development Department (UDD) to allot hawker tables without any agreement or condition to license-holding members whose documents were issued before 2012. The association has claimed that despite paying rent regularly and waiting patiently for more than a decade, the department has neither renewed the licenses nor completed the allotment process.

In a formal letter submitted to the Additional Secretary cum Director of UDD, the traders expressed their frustration over prolonged delays, which they say have caused severe hardship to many families dependent on these businesses. They argued that since their licenses were valid and issued before 2012, they should not be forced to sign fresh agreements or be subjected to new conditions.

One trader, speaking to local media, said, “We received a notice on August 2 from the department. It stated that if we don’t submit the agreement or allotment within 15 days, it will be treated as an automatic renewal. If that’s the case, we are more than ready to accept the automatic renewal. We’ve been paying rent consistently from 2000 to 2025.”

He further emphasized that the term “illegal” used by authorities to describe their status is incorrect and misleading. “We’re not at fault here. If there was a problem, the department could’ve raised it long ago. But they took rent for 25 years, and suddenly now our licenses are under question?” he asked.

Another trader, Rahul Gupta, a long-time vendor and a member of the Mauni Ita Lal Bazar Association, shared the emotional toll the uncertainty has caused. “We’ve been doing business in Lal Bazar for generations — since my grandfather’s time. We shifted to the new complex in 2006, and that’s when the trouble started. Out of 262 traders, allotments were given to only a portion. For the remaining 125 shopkeepers, licenses were held back without clear reasons.”

Gupta mentioned that over the years, several promises were made to address the issue, but nothing concrete was done. “We have been told time and again that the clause about the ten-year condition will be changed. But that hasn’t happened. When we tried to pay rent, they refused to accept it. How can they now say we’re unauthorized?” he asked.

He added, “We were all under the same agreement, but now the department is creating new terms only for some of us. That’s not fair. Some traders are licensed and others aren’t — but we all moved in at the same time and followed the same process.”

According to the traders, the root of the problem lies in internal confusion and shifting policies within the department. Over the past 19 years, many shopkeepers have been stuck in limbo — caught between old promises and new paperwork requirements. They say that repeated visits to the department, along with discussions and assurances, have failed to bring any lasting resolution.

The association has urged the UDD to act with fairness and compassion. “We are not asking for anything new. We just want what we were promised — our hawker tables, our space, and the right to work peacefully,” the president of the All Sikkim Traders Association said in the letter.