Visakhapatnam: YSRCP district president KK Raju came down heavily on the ‘vindictive attitude’ of the coalition government against the street vendors who were badly affected due to removal of their stalls by the GVMC officials.

Staging a protest against the ‘unethical’ removal of night food court stalls, KK Raju expressed concern over the future of thousands of poor families who were dependent on the stalls for their income source. He pointed out that the food stalls were cleared in an unjust manner without giving prior notice to the vendors.

Leading a rally from Mahatma Gandhi statue to the GVMC office, Raju along with an army of YSRCP leaders, pushcart operators and vendors criticised how pushcarts and stalls were cleared without prior intimation.

Despite police restrictions, the YSRCP leaders took out the rally, raising slogans, displaying placards and demanding justice for the stall vendors. Later, they submitted a representation to the GVMC Commissioner demanding justice be meted out to the food stall operators.

Further, Raju noted that these shops were not unauthorised. “The same GVMC authorities had earlier encouraged vendors by approving trade licenses, electric meters, and designated hawker zones during the YSRCP’s tenure. Today, the same shops were demolished due to political vendetta,” he opined.

Demanding immediate compensation to the affected vendors, Raju warned that the Mayor, MP, and MLAs would be held accountable unless justice is meted to the affected families. He mentioned that nearly 40,000 families lost livelihoods due to this exercise, while many of them are women. “Essential appliances like refrigerators and grinders were destroyed in the process of clearing the encroachment, making vendors debt-ridden. The move is impacting women’s self-reliance and their business units,” he criticised.

The YSRCP district president vowed to continue his fight against the injustice meted out to street food operators until the government provides compensation to them.