The Karnataka State Retail Beedi Cigarette Merchants Association, a part of the Federation of Retail Association of India (FRAI), held a protest in Freedom Park on Tuesday opposing the implementation of the Karnataka Municipalities Model Bye-Laws, 2020.
The Association is a body of around two lakh micro, small and medium retailers from across Karnataka.
B N Murali Krishna, president of the association, told DH, “Members of the association are subject to daily harassment and exploitation by officials, who have been taking advantage of their (member’s) illiteracy and of their lack of awareness to extract gratifications.”
The members urged the government not to implement the Karnataka Municipalities Model Bye-Laws, 2020, but instead help such micro-retailers recover from the losses incurred during the pandemic.