Deputy Commissioner N.S. Channappa Gowda has declined to ask Mangalore City Corporation to stop the “civic tiger” from evicting street vendors during a meeting on Monday.
The Beedhi Badi Vyaparasthara Horata Samiti met the Deputy Commissioner requesting him to intervene in the matter. Councillor Mariamma Thomas told Mr. Gowda that the corporation was not functioning properly.
Mr. Gowda sought a week's time to meet the Commissioner of the corporation .
Rita Noronha, professor at School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, said she came to know that that V. Ponnuraj, during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, had set up three street vendors' zones in Shimoga. She urged Mr. Gowda to take steps to safeguard the interests of street vendors.
Janata Dal (Secular) State Secretary M.G. Hegde said that the corporation had been evicting the street vendors on grounds that they were a nuisance to the public as they sold their wares on the pavements. Many rich people and shops have encroached upon the pavements . If the rich could encroach, the street vendors should be allowed to carry on their trade, he said.
Taking exception to remarks made by Mr. Hegde, he said that if such an argument was made, there would be no question of meeting. “We will go by the rules. Other members of the samiti intervened at this juncture and diffused the heated exchange.”
The samiti staged a protest against the Chief Whip of the Mangalore City Corporation Council Sudhir Shetty and alleged that Mr. Shetty was at the forefront of the exploitation of street vendors.
