Some of the evicted street vendors have resumed their businesses at the MG Road metro station, operating from Friday to Sunday.
Credit: DH Photo/S K Dinesh
Bengaluru: After the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) evicted street vendors from Church Street, some have resumed their businesses at the MG Road metro station, operating from Friday to Sunday.
In October, BBMP Zonal Commissioner (East) Snehal R led a drive that removed about 70 illegal structures, primarily food stalls, from Church Street.
Despite repeated appeals from the evicted vendors to reinstate their businesses, the BBMP has refused, citing legal restrictions.
BBMP Zonal Commissioner (East) Preeti Gehlot explained that Section 21 2(b) of the Street Vendors Act prohibits stationary vending on roads with widths between 4.5 and 9 metres, except on one-way vehicular roads.
“Church Street falls under a restricted vending zone with a road width of 5.5 metres and footpath widths averaging 2 to 4.5 metres. The Police Department has also not granted permission for street vending,” she said.
Revamp works on Church Street, carried out under the Unboxing BLR initiative of Namma Bengaluru Namma Koduge, have further disrupted pedestrian movement and are taking longer than expected to complete.
Naveen, a street vendor who previously sold clothes near Chai Point on Church Street, now sets up his stall only on weekends at the MG Road metro station. During the rest of the week, he works as a Rapido bike taxi driver.
“I have two children, one in pre-school and the other in primary school. My wife looks after them, so I am the sole breadwinner. The sudden eviction without notice has left me struggling,” he said.
Naveen added that BBMP officials had assured vendors that they would issue licences for vending in designated areas, but no licences have been issued yet.
“They have made it clear that Church Street is no longer an option,” he said. Naveen currently shares a 50 sqft at the MG Road metro station with two other vendors, paying a collective rent of Rs 50,000 to BMRCL.
Vinay Sreenivasa, an advocate, criticised the eviction as illegal, stating that relocation should have been arranged first. He said street vending is allowed on pedestrian streets like Church Street and pointed to the role of urban local bodies (ULBs) in alleviating poverty.
CE Rangaswamy, state president of the Karnataka Beedi Badi Vyaparigala Sanghatana Okkuta (R), echoed this sentiment. “The government declared Church Street a no-vending zone without providing an alternative location for the vendors. This is unfair and leaves them in a precarious situation,” he said.