Human rights forum slams Vizag municipality for 'unlawfully' evicting over 2,000 street vendors

Visakhapatnam: The Human Rights Forum on Wednesday strongly objected to the alleged forcible eviction of 2,850 street vendors by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation.

It said the action was in violation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, enacted to safeguard vendors' rights.

"The Human Rights Forum (HRF) takes strong exception to the forcible evictions of street vendors by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). These removals are in clear violation of The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014," the HRF said in a release.

According to the HRF, the GVMC acted without surveys, vending certificates, or consultation with Town Vending Committees, directly assaulting the constitutional right to livelihood of poor residents.

The forum said that instead of recognising vendors' contribution to the informal economy, the corporation treated them as a nuisance while shielding large establishments and corporate encroachments.

"GVMC's selective targeting and dispossession of street vendors while large commercial establishments and corporate encroachments enjoy protection and state patronage lays bare the stark discriminatory and brutal nature of the government's approach," the forum said.

It observed that Section 3(3) and Section 12 of the 2014 Act clearly prohibits evictions without surveys, notice, and proper procedure, which GVMC "failed to follow".

The rights group demanded restitution, including return of seized goods, compensation for loss of livelihood, and accountability for officials responsible for violating the law.