Street vendors stage 24-hour dharna against MCC

The main demands of the protesters are alternative arrangement for roadside vendors, putting an end to the operation civic tiger and compensation for the victims of civic tiger.

Launching the dharna in front of MCC building at around 11 pm Corporator Mariamma Thomas said that due to the routine operation of civic tiger on the bustling areas of the city, the lives of over 300 street vendors are on jeopardy.

She said that MCC's new proposal to allow the evicted street vendors to do their business inside the central market was not practical as there are no people moving to buy any goods.

Congress leader P V Mohan reminded that the Supreme Court had ruled that the interests of pavement and street vendors should be protected. The court had directed State government to frame a policy on the pavement and street vendors before June 30.

“However neither the state government nor the MCC considered this ruling seriously,” he said.

Backward Class Street Vendors Association General Secretary Hamza N A said that although the MCC officers insist the vendors to shift to the Central Market area where 66 stalls are vacant, but they have not found one.

“Earlier the quadrangle space in the Central Market was open to the shop keepers from outside who were allowed to open stalls by paying a minimal rent of Rs three. However, now the things have changed, as the MCC has built small shops in the same place and has given it to others who pay them higher rent. Now poor vendors have nowhere to go,” he said.

Muneer Katipalla, president, Dakshina Kannada unit of DYFI, said there was no truth in the allegations that street vendors sell drugs.

Honarary president of footpath and street vendors association Sunil Kumar Bajal said the civic body could mark the space allotted to the vendors at city bus stand and Lady Goschen Hosptial areas for their business. “But evicting them is not acceptable,” he added.

JD(S) leader MG Hegde said that the Mangalore City Corporation should not evict the vendors without first making an alternative arrangement.

“You cannot attack people just because you claim that others are being inconvenienced,” he said.

He said around 40 buildings had encroached parking space on the roads but the city corporation was not bothered.

“Why don't they go to K.S. Rao Road or Bunder and clear the encroachments there?” he said referring to the lack of footpaths on K.S. Rao Road and the traders of the Bunder area who were supposed to shift to the APMC yard in Baikampady.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) must be benefitting from it in some way if they were not ready to clear other encroachments.