The eviction of vendors from the median of the Madiwala Market Road by the police and the BBMP on Wednesday led to a steady commentary from civic experts and activists on social media, who shared pictures of it while largely supporting it.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Parameshwar too appreciated the eviction, saying the state government was committed to keeping the city's roads and footpaths free of encroachments by vendors for the convenience of pedestrians.
Civic activist, R K Misra took to Twitter to say, "I completely support the eviction of street vendors from roads and footpaths, " and regretted that although the city was supposed to have a hawker zone, there was no sign of it.
But the vendors told a different story. "We have been doing business here for many years. And now all of a sudden the police have evicted us and have taken away our livelihood without providing us a proper alternative," they protested.
A banana vendor, Sathyaraj, complained that they were constantly harassed and forced to bribe the police to do their business. "I start my day at 7am and sell bananas till 11.30 am at the BVK Iyengar Road. I later move from there to Chamrajpet. But wherever I go I need to bribe the police and give them free bananas every day," he adds.
Asked if he was aware of the BBMP's survey to distribute identity cards to vendors, he said he was not , but would be happy to have one if it put a stop to the present harassment he faced.
When contacted, a senior BBMP official said about 25,000 street vendors had been given ID cards. "We are finding it hard to distribute the cards as many street vendors do not have an address proof " he added.
Activist: Vendors too have the right to earn livelihood
Street vendors have their share of support in the city with some activists working for their welfare, arguing that they are doing nothing illegal and have a right to earn a living just like anyone else. Says Ms Lekha Adavi, an activist associated with the Federation of Bangalore District Street Vendors' Organisation, "Just like any individual has the right to work for a company for a living, street vendors too have the right to earn their living on the streets. We want someone to clean our toilets, to clear our garbage and want vendors to come at our doorsteps to supply our needs, but we also want them to disappear from the city. Vendors do not create the traffic jams. But it’s as if they are responsible for it all and evicting them will solve the problem.”
Pointing out that under the Street vendors (Protection if Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vendors) Act, 2014 it is the duty of the BBMP to identify mobile and stationary vendors and issue them ID cards, she notes that for a city brimming with a population of over a crore, the BBMP has issued ID cards to just 25,000 vendors.
“The total street vendor population could be nearly two lakh. The BBMP should start the second phase of its survey to identify them,” she says, also demanding that the K R and Madiwala markets among others in the city should be given a heritage tag and their vendors protected from eviction as required by the law.
“Not only does the BBMP not have proper data on the vendors in the city, but it is also neglecting historical markets like the K R Market, the Russel Market and others,” she regrets.
- As per the Street vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vendors) Act, 2014 it is the duty of the BBMP to identify mobile and stationary vendors and issue them ID cards. Activist Lekha Adavi notes that for a city brimming with a population of over a crore, the BBMP has issued ID cards to just 25,000 vendors
