COVID-19 Lockdown and Vendors’ Business in a Smart City: Some Observations from Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Abstract

The people engaged in street vending are vulnerable to various forms of disruptions. COVID-19-induced lockdown brought a sudden desolation to the business activity of vendors, which bent down the socio-economic condition of their families. This article looks into that aspect and especially tries to analyse the effect of COVID-19 lockdown/shutdown on vending businesses in a smart city in Odisha, Bhubaneswar. Using survey data from six different vending zones in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation on a total of 142 vendors, 62 registered (formal) and 80 unregistered (informal) vendors, we observed a significant decline in the income of both formal and informal vendors during COVID-19 lockdown. The decline is more pronounced among informal vendors compared to formal vendors. There is a significant mean difference between monthly income and expenditure during pre- and post-lockdown/shutdown period. This indicates the adverse impact of the COVID-19 lockdown/shutdown on the vending business in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in general, and informal vendors in particular.