Bengaluru: Street vendors in the city, who have been struggling to get their identity cards from the BBMP, have threatened to hold a protest in the first week of August if they don’t get their ID cards and allowed to conduct their business legally.
Members of the Federation of Street Vendors Union, Bengaluru district, on Tuesday said that they are facing problems as the Palike is yet to issue them ID cards.
The Palike conducted a survey of street vendors in September 2017, but covered only 25,000 vendors, while the city has over two lakh of them. The vendors who were covered under Phase 1 of the survey are yet to receive their identity cards or certificates of vending and it has been more than a year since the survey was conducted.
Babu, a federation member, said, “When the BBMP did not respond to our demands, 14 vendors filed a writ petition in the High Court and received the identity cards and certificates of vending. Now that the petitioners have received their identity cards and certificates, the BBMP should ensure that every vendor covered under Phase 1 of the survey gets them.”
The BBMP should announce Phase 2 of the survey and cover all vendors and provide them with ID cards, without which no schemes meant for them can be availed, said another member. “The Samruddhi Yojane, offered by the Congress government for the welfare of women vendors, cannot be availed as there are no identity cards. Similarly, the BBMP has allotted '2 crore for the welfare of street vendors, but the money is not spent as the beneficiaries cannot identify themselves,” he said.
The federation has demanded that the government authority should not flout the Street Vendors Act of 2014, which states that no vendors can be evicted or relocated by anyone. Despite several orders by the Supreme Court and High Court, the department concerned is evicting the vendors, which is unfair, said another member.
The federation demanded that street vendors covered under Phase 1 of the survey should get the identity cards and certificates before July-end, the BBMP should announce Phase 2 of the survey through a circular, amount allotted by the BBMP for the welfare of street vendors should be utilised and eviction of street vendors should be done in accordance with law and with prior notice.
