Street vendors organize mega human chain in protest against Civic Tiger

Street vendors organize mega human chain in protest against Civic Tiger

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Jul 7: The street and footpath vendors formed a human chain along with elected representatives and members of 25 organizations in an intense protest against the Mangalore City Corporation’s (MCC) Civic Tiger campaign against them. The human chain extended from the State Bank bus stand to Lady Goschen Hospital, the area from which they were evicted by the Civic Tiger.













Ramanath Rai, the district president of the Congress, said that the MCC’s policies had always been against the poor ever since the BJP came to power three years back. Stating that street vendors carry on their business throughout India, he said that the BJP is unnecessarily targeting them.

Sunil Kumar Bajal, the convener of the Beedibadi Vyaparigala Horata Samithi, said that the samithi has been protesting for the past two months and will continue protesting till the street vendors get justice.

Flaying District-in-charge Minister Krishna J. Palemar, Mr. Bajal said that the minister has not responded favorably to the street vendor’s two-month-long protest, owing to which the street vendors will protest in front of the minister’s residence. He also said that the samithi has planned an indefinite hunger strike from July 13.

B. Madhava, an activist of CPI (M), said that the MCC’s anti-poor, anti-minority, and anti-backward class policies are having an adverse effect on several street vendors who are making a living by selling fruits and vegetables by the roadside. The condition of the street vendors is pathetic, he added.

M. G. Hegde, the JD(S) leader; Corporators Lancelot Pinto and Shashidhar Hegde; Shashiraj Shetty; former mayor Ashraf, and many others participated in the protest.