JOIN USA comic booklet 'Street Vending: Pakka Legal ' was brought out to spread the word on the rights of street vendors, Street Vendors Bill and the responsibilities of government bodies towards protection of vendors.
A collaborative effort of Bengaluru Jilla Beedhi Vyapaari Sanghatanegala Okkuta, a federation of about 40 street vendor unions, and Alternative Law Forum, a legal research organisation, the 24-page book highlights the problems faced by street vendors, existing laws that ensure their protection, importance of street vendor unions and more, through graphics and caricatures.
Available in English and Kannada, the booklet’s artwork was done by city-based visual artist Vinayak Varma while Sruthi Krishnan, Vinay K Sreenivasa and Lekha Adavi contributed the script.
Vinay Sreenivasa said: “It took us seven months to bring out the comic whose sole intention is to act as a resource for all street vendors and street vendor support groups. We plan to hand over the books to street union members in the coming days at a nominal cost of Rs 25 to make them aware of their rights and help them understand the laws in a simple manner.”
Later, the Okkuta members visited Mayor G Padmavathi demanding survey of all the existing street vendors and to distribute ID cards to them. The members rued that though they had invited the mayor to the event, she gave it a miss.