Unending woes of footpath vendors

30 September 2009

A visit to State Bank area in the city is like entering into a maze of trading activities. The road side vendors who are carrying out trade without license from MCC on either side of the road are responsible for this undesirable situation. The initiative by the MCC to vacate all such illegal shops to facilitate pedestrian movement has created anxiety among all the footpath vendors in this area.

MCC has already initiated the process of eviction of fruit stalls in the area and is contemplating further such moves towards vacating other illegal shops in the area and also market area, near Lady Goshen hospital and Town Hall. In spite of the fact that MCC has been resorting to this drive for the last couple of years the displaced street vendors would come back to their old place after a day or two.

A separate site near the Town Hall has been identified for constructing a building for all the footpath vendors. The civil works are yet to be taken up. This sudden move by the MCC will deprive hundreds of such vendors of their only source of livelihood, regretted one of the affected person. There are more than 3000 street vendors in the city and majority of them are entirely dependent on this business for their daily bread.

source the canaratimes