LAHORE: Punjab is expanding a program that seeks to replace the long-running cycle of street vendor evictions with organized roadside stalls, giving pushcart vendors designated spaces to sell food and household goods.
The Punjab Sahulat-on-the-Go program provides government-built stalls on public roadside land, equipped with sanitation facilities, lighting, security and washrooms. The stalls are allocated through open balloting and offer vegetables, fruit, chicken and groceries at prices notified by deputy commissioners.
The initiative was proposed by the Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority (PSBA) in 2025. Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad, then the authority's chief executive and now its director general, presented the proposal to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in April 2025.
The proposal was based on the availability of government-owned roadside land in densely populated areas, where establishing large Sahulat Bazaars can be difficult because of limited space.
The government approved a pilot project involving 14 sites in Lahore with 816 stalls and set a four-month implementation target. By December 2025, more than 400 stalls had been allotted through open balloting at locations including Gulshan-e-Ravi, Shadman, Madar-e-Millat Road, Madina Market, Township, Sundar Road, Kotha Pind, Kharak Nala, Awan Town, Valencia and Shahdara.
By March 2026, Lahore had 15 Sahulat-on-the-Go units operating alongside 10 permanent Sahulat Bazaars.
The program has also provided vendors with more stable places to conduct business. Some vendors said the designated stalls allowed them to operate more like shopkeepers, with fixed locations and improved facilities.
For consumers, the program aims to bring regulated markets closer to residential areas and reduce the need to travel to larger bazaars.
A survey of 167 customers conducted by the Punjab Directorate General of Monitoring and Evaluation found that 95% rated accessibility positively, while 93% said they felt safe and 92% expressed satisfaction with product quality.
Women accounted for 52.4% of the customers surveyed, compared with about one-quarter of shoppers at conventional Sahulat Bazaars, according to the survey.
However, price satisfaction remained a challenge. Only 73% of respondents said they were satisfied with prices, highlighting the need for regular monitoring to ensure that the facilities provide competitive rates.
The survey also identified several Lahore areas, including Mughalpura, Baghbanpura, Cantonment, Model Town, Ghazi Road and parts of Samanabad, where coverage remained inadequate.
The Punjab government is now expanding the initiative beyond Lahore. Under the Annual Development Programme for 2026-27, Rs19 billion has been allocated for the expansion of Sahulat Bazaars and Sahulat-on-the-Go facilities to every tehsil across the province. By September, Rs4.83 billion had been released.
According to the PSBA, 41 Sahulat-on-the-Go facilities and 27 Sahulat Bazaars are under construction. New facilities are being developed at locations including Haidari Chowk and Shamsabad in Rawalpindi, Circular Road in Sialkot, Fawara Chowk in Faisalabad, Purani Sabzi Mandi in Sargodha and the Arts Council Park in Multan.
Facilities are also planned for smaller towns, including Bhera, Dina, Haroonabad and Fort Abbas.
The PSBA said balloting for new stalls would be conducted on merit, with priority given to khokha and rehri vendors already operating in the respective areas.
The authority expects the new facilities to become fully operational by the end of October 2026 and said district administrations had requested additional units in other tehsils.
The expansion represents a shift from removing roadside vendors to bringing their businesses into regulated spaces while maintaining access to affordable goods in residential areas. The effectiveness of the model will depend on continued price monitoring, adequate coverage and the ability of authorities to maintain the facilities as the program expands across Punjab.
