JOIN USVarious associations flay MCC's 'Civic Tiger'
Stressing that even the street vendors contribute to the country’s economy, he said that the country has more than two crore people who earn their daily bread by selling goods on the street. If the government is doing this as it causes inconvenience to the public, then why has it failed to take action against businessmen who have occupied the footpaths in Hampankatta, M G Road and K S Rao Road, he questioned.
MCC Corporator Mariyamma Thomas who flagged off the protest said that the street vendors are a great help for middle class people to easily purchase their goods and it also helps the vendors to be self employed. In case they are evicted, then a separate place should be allotted to them to sell their goods, she demanded. DYFI District Unit President Muneer Katipalla said that the vegetables that were evicted from the street by ‘Civic Tiger’ have been donated to Ashrams for three days. But what happened to the vegetables that have been evicted past 57 days, he questioned.
In case if street vendors are evicted in the name of development, then they should also be rehabilitated, said Social Worker Rita Noronha. She also said that in 2009, a national policy was implemented by the UPA government that said that street vendors cannot be evicted without providing them an alternate plan, however, the BJP government is not following this, she said.
The protestors shouted slogans against the ‘civic tiger’ asking for its ban and also compensation to the loss occurred to them in the past two months.
The protest had a huge support from different organisations such as CPI(M), Congress Mangalore Block, JD(S) Mangalore Block, DYFI, CITU, SFI, Samudaya, Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, Janawadhi Mahila Sangha, CWFI, FKARDU, CITU, AIIEA, BEFI, AILU and several others.