ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the context of Ahmedabad, and the city's political economy and effect on street vendors, including the impact of displacements on their businesses and incomes, as highlighted in the survey. It also examines the prohibitive legal context of street vending in Ahmedabad, and details the measures taken by Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) which fought a three-year public interest litigation (PIL) battle against Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the Gujarat High Court, with mixed results; it then presents the conclusions and recommendations from this study. Hawking and vending have been an integral part of Indian trade for centuries, and are now an integral part of the urban informal economy. The chapter also reviews the main laws, rules and regulations in Ahmedabad pertaining to street trade, including local government, policing, highways and town planning legislation, demonstrating the complexity of the legal framework within which street vending operates.
