Vendors protest Mangaluru City Corporation’s eviction drive in city

Mangaluru: Fish sellers and other vendors staged a protest on Monday when the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) officials conducted an eviction drive at Kavoor in the city on Monday.
Dozens of vendors, including women were evicted from Kavoor junction. The MCC carried out the eviction drive based on complaints from public, including the local MLA. In the meantime, vendors, in association with trade union leaders, held a protest opposing the drive and demanded that they be allowed to conduct business.
MCC’s Town Vending Committee (TVC) member B K Imthiyaz told TOI that vendors have been selling fish, vegetables and fruits at the junction for many years. “They were not conducting business on the footpaths. There is sufficient space and MCC should not have evicted them from the place. Vendors were informed orally to vacate the place and no official communication was made in this regard. Meanwhile, the rent at the alternative place suggested by the city corporation was not affordable to most of the vendors. The city corporation should have discussed the issue at the TVC meet before carrying out the eviction drive. Vendors are already in distress due to the pandemic and lockdown. This move on part of the city corporation was uncalled for since majority of the vendors earn less than Rs 300 per day,” Imthiyaz said.
Many vendors, who have street vendors’ identity cards issued by the city corporation, also have been evicted. Most of the vendors have availed loans under government schemes to conduct business. They are not in a position to afford the deposit and rent at the alternative place, he added.
Speaking to TOI, MCC commissioner Dinesh Kumar said, “Street vendors are supposed to conduct business only in notified areas. We have already notified an area as street vending place in Kavoor. We have received many complaints from public regarding vendors. We also received a complaint from the local MLA. Hence, we carried out a drive.”
Photo Caption:
Mangaluru City Corproration officials conduct an eviction drive at Kavoor in Mangaluru on Monday