Street vendors day, CPIM demands Street vendor rights

MANGALURU: The National Street Vendors’ Day was marked by a rally demanding the rights of street vendors, organised by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) near the Town Hall in Mangaluru. Addressing the gathering, CITU District General Secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal criticised the failure of local administrations to implement the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, which was brought into effect following nationwide struggles by street vendors. He accused the BJP-led city administration of reducing the number of vending zones from 33 to one under “Operation Tiger” and called it an act of self-congratulation.

BK Imtiyaz, honorary president of the Street Vendors’ Association, accused BJP leaders, including MLA Vedavyas Kamath, of hypocrisy. He alleged that while they displaced street vendors in areas like Lady Hill and Mannagudda, they hosted a high-profile tea vendor as a symbolic gesture, undermining the efforts of local vendors. He further criticised the law enforcers for allegedly supporting organisers who caused public inconvenience while ignoring the plight of street vendors.

Parallel events highlighted a stark divide in the day’s celebrations. While an extravagant programme featuring a biryani feast was held inside the Town Hall, reportedly costing lakhs, the modest rights rally outside attracted over 200 street vendors despite police denying permission.

The rally passed several resolutions, including conducting a comprehensive survey of all street vendors in the city and issuing ID cards and certificates to them, providing housing sites for those without land, offering free health services through health cards, and increasing the loan limit under the PM Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh. It also demanded the issuance of BPL cards for all street vendors, the formation of a grievance redressal committee chaired by a retired judge to address harassment by municipal and police authorities, and the scientific and customer-friendly development of vending zones with a focus on safety. Furthermore, the rally called for the creation of ten food vending zones across the city and requested that street vendors in the State Bank area be relocated to the vending zone in the Central Market Ward only after its development.