‘BBMP allows free car parking, but fines us’: Street vendors protest against eviction

Bengaluru: Street vendors from Church Street staged a protest outside the MG Road metro station on Monday, decrying evictions and "harassment" by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the police.

They alleged that despite being registered hawkers, over five vendors were evicted from Church Street by the BBMP on June 15.

Around 20 vendors, demanding justice, pointed out that while the BBMP allows free car parking on Church Street, it fines street vendors up to Rs 500 for doing business.

As they tried to march towards the BBMP office to submit a memorandum, the police intervened, taking several into preventive custody for three hours before releasing them.

The vendors later submitted a memorandum to the BBMP joint commissioner (East), along with a list of 53 authorised vendors. The BBMP assured them of a town vending committee meeting to discuss the issue.

"Despite the law allowing us to sell and the BBMP issuing ID cards and even providing loans, they are now harassing us," a vendor said.

U Sathyan, vending since 1985, recalled a similar protest in 1995 involving seven to eight vendors, noting that the number has now grown to 300 to 400.

A cycle tea vendor said that he was forced to adopt mobile vending due to these restrictions.