MCC Hawking Place now a Haven for Homeless and Stray Dogs
Mangaluru: A long-pending demand of street vendors to have a designated hawking place in the city had been met with MCC making arrangements to accommodate them in about one acre land (behind Town Hall) couple of months ago, by spending few lakhs of tax payers money on this project. But alas seems like this project has been a waste of money since the street vendors are reluctant to move to this new hawking place. At present when you walk into hawking place you will not find any veg or fruit vendors instead you’ll see homeless and stray dogs sleeping. What a wastage of money on an unplanned project.
A couple of weeks ago, a few vendors from the market road/state bank area moved into this hawking place after being warned by MCC that their identity cards issued to them would be cancelled if they don’t relocate. However, the vendors alleged that MCC didn’t provide basic facilities in the new vending zone and that not many customers come there. So now everyone is back to the original place doing their business. With the vendors demanding that basic facilities should be provided and initiatives are taken to attract customers, the MCC is restructuring the area by lowering the height of the surrounding wall, and also few other basic facilities.
Before….
Senior citizen Eliza D’souza, aged 72 who moved to new vending zone but now back doing business near State Bank area speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” On MCC request I agreed to move to the new hawking zone, but I lost nearly 95% of the business since no customers showed up at the new location. Also, there is no proper facilities there-we have sit in open in the hot sun and many other issues. I have been selling homegrown vegetables for the last 57 years, and many regular customers buy from me- but at the new vending zone no one patronized. It is not an ideal place for street vendors to earn for their living”
Just like Eliza, similar was the complaints from few other street vendors who had moved to the new vending zone, and now back at their earlier place, saying that no customers visited the new location, and also that facilities were harsh to do business. Even though MCC had issued nearly 200 plus identity cards to the street vendors, the number of street vendors are way more in numbers. And that only such vendors having an identity card and who have registered with the corporation were accommodated at the hawking place. Kind of very confusing and complicated for these street vendors.
…..After
Taps already stolen by miscreants
In the meantime, Sunil Kumar Bajal, honorary president, Dakshina Kannada Street Vendors’ Association speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “MCC need to issue identity cards to 350 more vendors. The place reserved now is ideal for vendors and centrally located. It would have been nice if MCC had built a roof at the place to enable the vendors to trade during monsoon season, and also protect them from the sun during hot summer days. Once proper basic facilities are provided I am sure the vendors will move to the new vending zone, and it could be like a daily “santhe” in the city with consumables availing under one roof.”
Now that the MCC is once again spending money again in making some changes like lowering the wall so that the vendors could be seen etc- but it is very much doubtful that the street vendors will move to the new vending zone no matter what facilities MCC will provide them. They are all used to their old location and no one wants to relocate. Anyways let’s wait and see what action MCC will take once this new vending zone gets a new look with new basic facilities. Seems like MCC is listening and acting as per the orders of street vendors, who don’t even pay taxes nor have trade licences like other legal veg and fruit sellers. Nice to be an illegal street vendor, don’t you think so?
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