Govt promises action against municipality workers if found guilty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid reports that the authorities of the LDF-ruled Attingal Municipality were going soft on the staff who had allegedly manhandled a woman fish vendor, Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Friday promised strict action against the municipality workers if they are found guilty.

Besides roughing up Alphonsa, the fish vendor, the municipality workers were accused of throwing away the fish kept for sale on the road. Sivankutty said the government will examine if provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act were violated by the staff. 

The minister said the municipality should carry out a survey of vendors and issue licences and identity cards to them. Areas in the town where street vending is permitted should be notified. After completing such procedures, the government will examine if proper notice was issued before eviction, he said.

“Destroying the fish that was seized as part of eviction instead of auctioning it is illegal. If any municipality worker has acted illegally, strict action will be taken,” Sivankutty said in a statement. 
The minister is scheduled to visit Alphonsa’s house at Anchuthengu on Saturday. 

Opposition corners govt 

Meanwhile, UDF continued to turn the heat on the government and the municipality over the alleged attack on the fish vendor. Following the visit of Opposition Leader V D Satheesan and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to Alphonsa’s house on Thursday, former Opposition Leader Ramesh

Chennithala too visited the fish vendor at her house on Friday. 
Chennithala urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to withdraw the case against Alphonsa for the sale of fish on the roadside. He said it was the municipality workers who roughed up Alphonsa and threw away her fish. After being attacked, a case was also lodged against the hapless fish vendor, Chennithala said.

In a letter, Chennithala also urged Pinarayi to provide adequate compensation to Alphonsa who allegedly suffered a fracture to her hand in the melee.The Congress leader alleged that the LDF government had done nothing for the welfare of coastal communities. 

“Had the government taken strict action against the policemen who attacked a fish vendor named Mary near Paripally, the staff of Attingal municipality would not have dared to commit such an atrocity against Alphonsa,” Chennithala said.