First street vendors’ convention held in city

First street vendors’ convention held in city

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Mar 29, 2012: Vasanth Achary, the district general secretary of the CITU, inaugurated the first street vendors’ convention held at Nasik Bangera Hall behind the RTO on March 20 Thursday. 

In his inaugural address, he spoke about the active role played by street vendors in society and mentioned a law passed in 2009, which protects the interests of street vendors. He said that the Supreme Court had ruled that the local district administrations ought to protect the interests of street vendors. Taking all these facts into consideration, it becomes a blunder on the part of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) to drive away street vendors from the roadsides in its eagerness to beautify the city, he said.

 

Speaking about the sufferings of street vendors when the MCC’s Civic Tiger constantly attacked them, he urged the central government to implement the street vendors’ policy for 2012 effectively and make alternative arrangements for permanent and temporary street vendors. Flaying political parties, he said that they are all interested in power and not in the welfare of poor people. He also urged the government to provide pensions to street vendors along with other facilities such as housing, drinking water, Bhima Yojana, and sanitation. 

Criticizing the BJP government’s policy of giving away crores of rupees to mutts and temples when there are several poor people without houses, education facilities, and medical facilities, he said that the government ought to have supplied funds for the construction of houses, schools, and hospitals. 

Speaking on the occasion, CITU District President Balakrishna Shetty said that several people have made efforts to stop the street vendors’ fight for justice, but the vendors are determined to fight for their rights. Stating that the MCC’s claims that street vendors create problems for pedestrians cannot be true as most pedestrians purchase fruits and vegetables, available at affordable rates, from street vendors, he complained that the big malls in the city are not for the poor. He also assured poor people that the CITU will always support them. 

Later he distributed identity cards to the newly joined members on the occasion.