Playing Hide-n-Seek with MCC, Street Vendors are Back in Business?
Mangaluru: It has happened few times in the past, it has happened again – where Mangaluru City Corporation does a surprise raid on illegal petty shops and evict them using earth-movers (JCB), police force and manpower And within few hours or a day, the same petty shop owners are back into their illegal trade. Just couple days ago, MCC evicted all the illegal street vendors near State Bank area, Central Market area, and few other places- but within few hours they were once again back on the streets continuing their trade. This makes one think, what’s the point, where MCC at one point evicts these street vendors, and after few hours or a day later they are all back into same illegal vending business. Looks like a drama. Also seems like street vendors are playing hide-n-seek with MCC- when they get the news that there is a raid that day, they hide themselves with their items- and once the MCC comes and goes-they set up their stalls again. Laws should be enforced strictly, not just for a day or two?
Speaking to Mangalorean.com, Ramesh- a fruits street vendor said, “During the raid that happened few days ago, my cart was crushed by MCC using a JCB. I have no money to buy a new cart, instead I am using this temporary wooden stand to sell these fruit items. I can’t stay without earning my daily bread and butter, since I have a family to take care. MCC should have pity on us or at least provide a suitable place where we can continue our business. Raiding us now and then will ruin our lives”.
Yet another Chinese food street vendor speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “I was provided with a licence to run my business few months ago by the MCC. But few days ago, during the morning raid my cart was crushed to pieces using the JCB. Even when I had the licence why did they have to do this to me”. When we contacted the MCC Revenue Officer Praveen Karkera on this issue, he said, ” Rumours about MCC issuing licenses is not true-MCC has never issued licenses for such trade in the past, and will not do it in the future too. Only particular kind of shops like Milk booths etc are given licences under certain norms and conditions – even if these shops break the laws, they too will be evicted. Also MCC is considering to give only a few licenses to some shops in required areas that doesn’t affect motorists and pedestrians- but request for these licenses should come to us through their union board. Also we are not stopping our raids, once we get the police force we will continue our raids frequently. The street vendors are reluctant to use the new space provided to them behind the Town Hall, where once the yakshagana plays were held”.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Mable, a street vendor selling vegetables on the State Bank Road stretch said, “We were made to move to the new location, and we did. But unfortunately we had to come back to our original footpath spot since no customers showed up at the new place. How can we make a living if there are no customers? MCC should come up with a different plan to attract customers at this new location, and only then we will move there”. Even though this present hawking place for street vendors, which was earlier used by Yakshagana artists to stage their performances during the weekends, has now proved to be a waste of space and money, since the street vendors have decided to stick to footpaths to sell their fruits and vegetables. If you look at the new hawking place arranged by the MCC for the street vendors at the cost of few lakhs of rupees of tax payers money, there are hardly any street vendors instead a few beggars and homeless have been occupying the spots. What a sheer waste of tax payers money gone down the drain?
Yes, we all know that the menace of illegal street vendors is getting out of control- just look at every corner of the city- there are street vendors selling fruits/vegetable/Chinese food, chaat items, dosas/coffee/tea etc. The rapid growth of population recently has given rise to problems and difficulties that have been alarming and threatening the sustenance of human civilization. More people mean more mouths to feed. In search of a livelihood, a large-scale migration of the rural population to the urban areas has become a common sight. Cities and towns with increased opportunities of employment coupled with industries and commerce have become increasingly congested and overpopulated. In developing economies as ours, the state finds it difficult to control as well as regulate such movement.
With limited infrastructure facilities, not all the citizens are able to avail the basic necessities of a living. Most of the migrant population has to live in slums and shanty towns which are at most times unrecognized and hence deprived of clean drinking water, electricity, proper sanitary mechanisms, health and medical facilities. The population being disproportionately high when compared to the limited employment opportunities, most of them have to carry on independent business activities and do not get any help from the state authorities in this regard. With a large poor population, the issue appears to be two sided. On the one hand is the livelihood of these people and their families, and on the other hand is the regulation of economic activities, control on and crimes and illegal business, encroachment of land and property, illegal street shops and last but not the least the protection and conservation of the natural environment.
In such a situation it becomes necessary and vital for the local municipal authorities to frame laws and thrust them to manage the behaviour of the society. One such concern is that of street hawking in large cities. These activities disrupt the smooth functioning of the city in several ways but are difficult to regulate as they involve a large section of the society. Moreover, this population is a vote bank for political groups and a good source of harassment by the public authorities. MCC and other concerned authorities have to come up with a plan to relocate all these illegal vendors to a location which will not bother the city life, traffic and the earnings of those shop owners who run their business legally by paying taxes, rent and other utility expenses.
