Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, Aug 9: With various projects worth crores of rupees coming up, Mangaluru is developing as a ‘Smart City’. Meanwhile, it is a common scene to see the street vendors occupying the footpaths for their business on the stretch from the Clock Tower to State Bank.

On Sundays, the footpaths convert into ‘Sunday Bazaar’ which force the pedestrians to walk on roads instead of footpaths. The street vendors set up their stalls starting from the Clock Tower till Hamilton circle near the DC’s office.

The street vendors sell home grown vegetables, fruits and used clothes. The majority of the street vendors hail from other districts.

Lack of facilities for street vendors

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has failed to provide adequate facilities for the street vendors for their business which forces them to occupy the footpaths in the heart of the city.

In the year 2017, a ‘Street Vendors’ Zone’ was inaugurated by the then mayor Harinath. The location had no proper facilities and it was an open area. Despite inauguration, the street vendors’ zone was left vacant for several years. Even though there was a provision for the street vendors to register themselves to shift to the new location, only a few street vendors opted for the same.

After six years, the street vendors’ zone has completely closed down and a water tank has been constructed at the same place.

During the DISHA meeting, MLA Vedavyas Kamath urged the deputy commissioner to make necessary arrangements for the street vendors for their business.

Even the public gets benefited as the street vendors sell their products at comparatively lower prices. Hence, there is a need for the concerned authorities to get into action at the earliest and find an alternative solution for the street vendors as most of them are dependent on the same business to earn their daily bread.

The administration should ensure that the street vendors are shifted to some other place with proper facilities so that the pedestrians can use the footpaths to walk instead of roads.