The Yangon City Development Committee began compiling lists of street vendors in four downtown townships on September 22, according to an official from the administration department.
“The covered townships are Kyauktada, Pabedan, Latha and Lanmadaw. The YCDC is compiling the lists of street vendors by taking photos,” he added.
According to the YCDC’s data, there are about 5,500 street vendors in the four townships – 1300 in Kyauktada, 2,000 in Pabedan, 1,400 in Latha and 800 in Latha. The total number of roadside vendors in Yangon is estimated to exceed 30,000.
Under the current government, the YCDC has allowed street vendors to open their roadside shops after 3pm. The YCDC has removed downtown roadside vendors who have opened their shops before 3pm.
Yangon Mayor Dr Maung Maung Soe announced on September 10 that the YCDC is planning to create a marketplace and a night market for roadside vendors.
Under Myanmar’s previous government, the YCDC did not collect taxes from roadside vendors. The number of vendors did not decline under the previous government because the government failed to create alternative employment opportunities for them.
Source: Eleven Myanmar
