Demanding space in the bus stand, around 150 vendors resorted to a sit-in stir on the Corporation premises on Monday.
Since the bus stand was established in 1982, the vendors said, they had been functioning there. However, citing the pandemic, the government announced a lockdown and, subsequently, civic authorities too closed down the shops from March-end.
Since then, they had been living with the ration rice distributed by the government. The loans taken from usurers had risen to its peak. Hence, the civic authorities must permit them to operate inside the bus stand.
Echoing their plea, cadre from CPI(M), CPI, CITU and AIDWA said when the government had relaxed restrictions and issued a series of guidelines to the public to prevent spread of viral infection, it would be a great relief to the vendors if they were allowed inside the bus stand.
The vendors had petitioned the Collector, Corporation Commissioner and others since last month, but there was no response. Though the civic authorities orally promised to allow them inside the bus stand from September 21, there was no official word.
Hence, the vendors resorted to an agitation, which irked the authorities.
On Monday, a wordy altercation between officials and the Communist party functionaries snowballed into uneasy calm on the premises and police had to be pressed in.
When reporters contacted Commissioner Senthil Murugan, he said after the pandemic surfaced, the bus stand was closed to vendors. Only from August, licenced shopkeepers were allowed to reopen their outlets in the bus stand with a number of restrictions and guidelines.
“The civic authorities had the responsibility to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading and also protect the citizens,” he said.
Hence, under the present circumstances, it would not be possible to give permission to the vendors inside the bus stand to run their businesses, the civic body chief added.
Upset over the announcement, the vendors, particularly women selling flowers, said they were fighting for their survival.
CPI(M) town secretary Azad, Janaki from AIDWA, CITU district president K. Prabakaran and vendors association secretary Pichaimuthu said they would intensify the agitation as the officials had misled them.