Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, May 25: At around noon on Tuesday May 24, a large contingent of policemen led by city assistant commissioner of police, Ravindra Gadadi, came together near State Bank and started hunting for street vendors. At the same time, city corporation and revenue department officials scouted the Central Market area.

As the officials could not locate any vendors by the roadside near the market, they entered Central Market, and started loading fruits and vegetables spread out by merchants on the space meant for public movement. The businessmen struggled to save their goods and as a result, heated arguments were witnessed.

Honorary president of Street Vendors Association, Sunil Kumar, addressing a press conference convened thereafter at the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) office here, launched a verbal tirade against the city corporation and revenue department officials for treating the street vendors as their enemies. He said that a meeting of the concerned is being held on May 26 at 3 pm in the presence of the corporation commissioner to find a solution to this vexed issue. He warned that if no concrete proposals for making alternative arrangements for the displaced street vendors are put forth at the proposed meeting, the vendors will organize dharna in front of the home of MLA, Yogish Bhat.

Raita Sangha district president, Yadav Shetty, also condemned the motive of the city corporation to eliminate street-side business in the city.

B A Hassan, Muhammed Mustafa, and others were present at the press conference.