Nepal, Feb. 7 -- From the corners of Bangalore to the urban heart of Dhaka, streams of street vendors or 'hawkers' are a ubiquitous sight in busy city spaces across Asia. Temporary or mobile structures offering city-favourite foods, affordable textiles, and countless other goods and services, play a key role in local livelihoods. It is difficult to imagine a Biratnagar without its endless lines of Pani Puri stalls or a Baneshwor without its long lines of vegetable sellers. The street market is also inextricably woven into our history-variations of the haat bazaar in the hilly regions or hatiyain in the Tarai regions have existed throughout Nepal for centuries.

Kathmandu is no exception. While Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) allows vend...