GVMC Criticised for Targeting Street Vendors
Association members staged a protest at Gandhi Park and later took out a procession in front of the GVMC gate, demanding that action against small traders be stopped.
Visakhapatnam:The Visakhapatnam Footpath Fruits Welfare Association on Monday accused the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) of targeting street vendors under Operation Lungs while allowing businesses to operate in the cellars of shopping malls meant for parking.
Association members staged a protest at Gandhi Park and later took out a procession in front of the GVMC gate, demanding that action against small traders be stopped.
Association president Sheikh Rahiman and AITUC district president M. Manmadha Rao alleged that fruit vendors, many of whom had migrated to Visakhapatnam due to a lack of employment opportunities, had been making a living for years by selling fruit at the foot of Venkoji Palem hill.
“Regrettably, such large-scale attacks are being carried out on small traders who do business in the same cellar despite having basement parking in big shopping malls,” said Sheikh Rahiman.
They alleged that GVMC officials had recently removed stalls, damaged items and seized supplies. Rahiman also alleged that the Zonal Commissioner misbehaved with traders and warned that police were booking those setting up stalls from August 17.
Rahiman referred to the 2014 Supreme Court guidelines on hawkers and demanded that vendors be provided facilities such as identity cards, drinking water and toilets. He alleged that GVMC was ignoring these provisions while removing carts in the name of urban development and traffic regulation.
The association demanded that carts removed from Venkoji Palem be allowed to resume business in the same area. Petitions were submitted to MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, the Police Commissioner and GVMC Additional Commissioner Ramanamurthy.
Street Wonders Workers Union state general secretary Teddu Venkatesh, Auto Union district general secretary CH. Kasubabu, Arilova CPI secretary Komara Sandeep Kumar and several association presidents participated in the protest.
