Street vendors oppose their eviction from Mahadevapura road

The attempts of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and the Revenue department to remove street vendors from Mahadevapura Main road met with stiff resistence from the members of the Karnataka Beedi Badi Vyaapari Sanghatanegala Okkuta (KBBVS).

Speaking to DH, KBBVS State president Dr C E Rangaswamy alleged that the police officers, who aimed to clear the footpaths and main roads off the street vendors were violating the Street Vendors Act, 2014. The Act maintains that street vendors must operate in vending zones and the local authority may remove the vendor if they haven't relocated to these zones.

However, Rangaswamy said that street vendors cannot be evicted because there aren't any vending zones in the city. "Even if a vending zone is created and vendors fail to relocate, authorities can only evict them after a 30-day notice," he said, adding that immediate eviction is not allowed under any circumstances. He emphasised that the law enabled any road to be used by street vendors for business and that nobody could be evicted until a survey was completed by the Town Vending Committee.

Speaking to DH, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, said this was part of an ongoing process to keep major roads free from traffic jams. "We are creating vending zones and street vendors can shift there. They are not allowed to set up shop on any major roads or footpaths," he added.