The Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in Himachal Pradesh will adopt a policy on street vendors framed by a committee to be set up soon.

The decision of the state government came in the wake of public outrage over the construction of an alleged multi-story mosque at Sanjauli in the suburbs of Shimla town.

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The committee will frame a street vendor policy so that licenses can be issued after verification of the antecedents of the vendors.

Sukhu said in the Assembly on Tuesday that a committee of the Assembly or a sub-committee of the cabinet would be formed to form the Street Vendors Committee.

Besides, officials and MLAs from both the ruling and opposition parties will be included in this committee.

The state chief minister was responding to a point of order raised by Shimla MLA Harish Janartha over people’s anger against the illegally constructed mosque in Sanjauli. He said in the new street vendor policy, licenses would be issued to street vendors only after checking their background.

“Himachal has a history of peaceful co-existence and we respect every section of the society,” he said.

He assured the House that the law would take its recourse in the mosque case and if there was anything illegal, action would be taken as per the rules.

Chief Minister Sukhu said a policy would be made for vendors and space would be allotted to everyone as per the rules.

He said a cabinet sub-committee or assembly committee would be formed to consider the issue as it is the responsibility of both the ruling party and the opposition to ensure communal harmony in the state.

Sukhu said everyone in the country has the right to work anywhere and Himachal is a peaceful state where everyone lives in complete communal harmony and respects all religions and faiths.

State Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Pathania said that any kind of dharna or protest should be dealt with strictly so that law and order problems do not arise.

Opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur said that the anger of the people against the illegal construction of the mosque in the Sanjauli area can become a big issue in the entire state.

He said during the tenure of the BJP, the process of verification and registration of outsiders was started. “Every citizen of the country can come to Himachal, but the way the number of such people is increasing in the state, whose antecedents are not verified, is worrying,” he stated.

The Opposition leader said that the matter should be resolved soon as it deals with the sentiments of a large section of the population. Neither the BJP nor Congress supporters were involved in the protest in Sanjauli, it was the public sentiment and anger at play.

He further said that the illegal construction of a mosque in Sanjauli is related to the sentiments of a community and the government should not take it lightly.

Rural Development Minister Aniruddh Singh said any citizen of India can come to Himachal and earn his livelihood, but the issue has gone beyond this and some people want to give it a communal color, while some want to take political mileage out of it.

Aniruddh Singh demanded action against those anti-social elements who are posting messages on social media that can endanger the communal harmony of Shimla city as this can create a big law and order problem.

Earlier, Shimla MLA Harish Janartha raised the issue of the Sanjauli mosque dispute and demanded the intervention of the Chief Minister.

He said this matter is taking a communal turn, due to which there is a danger of deteriorating law and order.

Janartha demanded that a street vendor’s policy should be made and verification of any person coming from outside the state should be done.