Fruit Cart Vendors Protest Against GVMC Drive
Fruit cart vendors in Visakhapatnam staged a dharna against the GVMC’s “Operation Lungs” drive, demanding restoration of removed carts and protection of livelihoods.
The Visakha Footpath Fruits Welfare Association staged a dharna at the foot of Simhachalam Hill in the Venkojipalem East constituency on Monday, demanding that Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) officials stop removing the carts of small traders under the “Operation Lungs” initiative.
Association president Sheikh Rahiman, along with AITUC district president M. Manmadha Rao, said many small traders had migrated to the city in search of livelihood opportunities and had been supporting their families by selling fruits from pushcarts for years.
They alleged that GVMC officials were removing their carts, preventing them from carrying on their businesses and adversely affecting their livelihoods.
Mr. Rahiman said that despite petitions submitted earlier to MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, the Police Commissioner, the GVMC Additional Commissioner and the Zonal Commissioner, no solution had been provided. The association had also submitted a fresh petition to the District Collector.
He questioned whether development should come at the cost of the livelihoods of small traders while government land was being allotted to corporations at low prices.
Speakers at the protest said the Supreme Court’s 2014 guidelines mandated the establishment of hawker zones and provision of basic amenities, including identity cards, drinking water and toilets, for street vendors. They alleged that the GVMC was ignoring these provisions while removing carts in the name of urban development and traffic regulation.
The association demanded that the carts removed in Venkojipalem be allowed to resume business in the same area. They also pointed out that while basements were designated for parking, large shopping malls continued to conduct business from their basements.
The protesters criticised the GVMC for allegedly treating small traders differently from big shopping malls and demanded that the civic body ensure a level playing field.
A large number of pushcart workers and association leaders, including U. Bala, P. Durga Rao, Appanna, J. Sangham Naidu, D. Narsingh, Y. Satthibabu and N. Srinu Durga Rao, participated in the protest.
