Andhra Pradesh: Hawkers Protest Eviction Drive On Besant Road
CITU leaders alleged that officials ignored valid identity cards, old licences and payment receipts during the drive: Reports
VIJAYAWADA: An eviction drive against street vendors on Besant Road sparked tense scenes on Tuesday as hawkers, backed by CITU and CPM, staged a protest alleging violations of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
Amid heavy police deployment, municipal and town planning officials removed several hawkers' carts, prompting vendors to stage a road sit-in and take out a rally from Raghavaiah Park to Tummidi Brothers.
CITU leaders alleged that officials ignored valid identity cards, old licences and payment receipts during the drive. They also claimed that many vendors who had applied for identity cards were yet to receive them despite paying ₹200 each.
CPM state secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao said thousands of families had depended on Besant Road for their livelihood for over four decades. He demanded completion of vendor surveys, issuance of pending identity cards and regular meetings of the Town Vending Committee.
The protesters urged the municipal commissioner to hold talks with vendors and warned of intensified agitations, including laying siege to the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation office, if the eviction drive continued.