Drive against unauthorised street vendors, petty shops to continue, says Mangaluru Mayor

MCC has issued only 10 identity cards to street vendors in Mangaluru.

Mangaluru: The ‘Operation Tiger’ to remove encroachments on the footpaths by unauthorised street vendors will continue by the urban local body, Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur clarified while addressing mediapersons in Mangaluru on Monday.

Kannur said that the MCC has not issued any permission for petty shops in the city limits and street vendors have not agreed to the conditions laid down by the MCC to carry out the business using pushcarts.

Following the complaints from the corporators and general public on the encroachment of the footpaths and roads by the street vendors leading to traffic congestion and in the interest of the safety of the people in the city, the city corporation had initiated a drive against unauthorised street vendors, petty shops, street food vendors from July 29.

The site where the eviction drive was carried out had the intrusion of cockroaches, horde of rats which highlighted the poor hygiene status of the place where business was carried out.

The city corporation had carried out a survey of 1045 people through the town vending committee, of which, 667 were identified as street vendors including 63 push carts. Barring 10 street vendors who were issued identity cards symbolically, no identity cards were issued by the city corporation for the street vendors as claimed by the Dakshina Kannada Beedibadi Vyaparigala Shreyobhivridhi Sangha, said the Mayor.

For issuing the identity cards, the MCC had laid down conditions for the street vendors, which none agreed. The conditions state that the street vendor do not have any other sources for livelihood, and they will not pose hindrance to the traffic and pedestrians and will adhere to the rules pertaining to sound pollution, solid waste and will not engage in selling using push carts in the commercial areas, restricted areas and will engage n business in the residential areas and so on.

Under PM SVANidhi, loans were given away to 667 people including those with push carts and also those who prepare food at home and sell it by visiting offices, he said.

“I have concern for the poor. The street vendors should follow the system in place to carry out the business. Vending zones will come up on 10 locations in a month for the street vendors to sell the produces while sitting. There is no provision for permanent structure for the street vendors,” he clarified.

During the drive against street vendors, the officials have found alcohol, tasting powder in the petty shops. The officials have also come across one person having 200 push carts leasing it out to the vendors and collecting commission daily in the evening, said the Mayor.

Stating that the members of the street vendors association have not met him so far since the drive began by the MCC, Mayor invited the association office-bearers for an open discussion on street vending to ensure justice to the poor.

Food streets

The Mayor said that the MCC is also mulling over food streets in the city by identifying at least two roads. “After identifying the roads, tender will be floated for the vendors to sell food items on 10X10, or 10X 20 space allotted by the corporation.”