The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), run by the Trinamool Congress, is drafting a standard operating procedure to regulate roadside vending, clear encroachments on major thoroughfares and ease traffic congestion across the city, civic body sources said. The decision was taken at a meeting held at the SMC conference hall on Tuesday evening, attended by Mayor Gautam Deb and Deputy Mayor Ranjan Sarkar. Officials from the traffic department of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police and representatives of the Hill Cart Byabsayee Samity were also present. “We are preparing an SOP to regulate vending activities along different city roads. A four-member committee comprising the SMC secretary and representatives of the police commissionerate and trade bodies has been formed for this purpose,” Sarkar said. The civic body has earlier identified 101 vending zones and 61 non-vending zones across 47 wards. However, despite repeated anti-encroachment drives, pavements along several key streets continue to be occupied by unauthorised vendors, resulting in frequent traffic bottlenecks. The initial focus of the SOP implementation will be on Hill Cart Road, after which similar measures will be rolled out on other major city roads. The move will be carried out with the support of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, Sarkar said. Parking constraints were also discussed at the meeting, with officials acknowledging that the shortage of designated parking spaces remains a major challenge. Siliguri currently has around 20 dedicated parking areas, many of which are either occupied or encroached upon. Officials said new parking zones are being identified along Hill Cart Road, Sevoke Road, Burdwan Road, SF Road and other major arteries, in coordination with the police. Meanwhile, the traffic department of the Siliguri police commissionerate has been conducting enforcement drives over the past few days to clear major streets of unauthorised parking.