Street vendor and hawkers’ association on Saturday announced that they would on Monday march to the residences of Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with begging bowls for compensation due to loss of livelihood.
Ashwani Bagri, convener of Delhi Weekly Bazaar United Front and president of Hawkers’ Joint Action Committee, North Delhi unit, said the “begging protest march” was being organised to highlight that the city’s busy markets and liquor vends had been opened but the precarious conditions of street vendors were being neglected.
He demanded that the authorities concerned immediately allow street vendors or else compensate them for loss of livelihood at the rate of ₹18,000 per month.
“If the appropriate decision is not taken soon, then the indebted and helpless street vendors will be forced to intensify agitations in the streets and the insensitivity of the government will be responsible for such a situation,” Mr. Bagri said.
“Livelihood is everything for us, either we should be given our constitutional right to earn a livelihood and the weekly market should be opened without delay, if it is not appropriate to do so due to COVID-19, then we should get the monthly compensation at the rate of minimum wages applicable in Delhi,” he also said.
Dharmendra Kumar, president of All India Hawkers’ Joint Action Committee said, “Street vending is the last refuge for poor, disabled, widows and others standing on the last rung of the socio-economic ladder. In a jobless growth trajectory, with almost no social security, street vending is the only security for such people.”
Hakim Singh Rawat, working president of Hawkers’ Joint Action Committee, said that the Delhi government has always talked about the interest of the street vendors. They need immediate financial assistance. If the government does not help even in such a crisis, then the street vendors will never forgive it.