Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Jul 28: Dakshina Kannada District Street Vendors Association under the banner of CITU held a rally from PVS to Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) here on Thursday July 28 to protest against MCC.

Addressing the protesters, Sunil Kumar Bajal, honorary president of the association said, "Though the street vendors bill has been passed in parliament, the union and state governments have failed to implement this bill effectively. The town vendors committee had been constituted 9 months ago, but no meeting has been conducted. MCC has failed to renew the identity cards issued to 208 street vendors. Though 350 street vendors had applied for identity cards at MCC, they failed to issue them. Without taking into consideration the town vendors committee, MCC went forward to evict them."

"Constitutionally street vendors are demanding their rights. Street vendors occupy just 5% of the place in the entire city and in 95% of the city there are no street vendors. Traffic inconvenience is caused because of the builders who have constructed apartments in violation of the law and without proper parking facilities. When BJP was in power in the corporation, they had conducted a raid against the street vendors, but in the subsequent elections, people eliminated them. If Congress too does the same thing, people will teach them the same lesson." he added.

CPI(M) leader Vasanth Achari also spoke at the protest.