Bitter experience for sugarcane vendors

April 20, 2012 11:22 am | Updated 11:22 am IST - BANGALORE:

Speech-impaired Veeranna andKalavati, whose sugarcane stall was trashed, displaytheir licence. Photo: Karan Edward Machado

Speech-impaired Veeranna andKalavati, whose sugarcane stall was trashed, displaytheir licence. Photo: Karan Edward Machado

For over two decades, Veeranna and Kalavati, a couple who are speech-impaired, have earned their livelihood by running a sugarcane juice stall near the K.R. Puram Tin Factory.

Last week, when they turned up at their usual spot to vend, they were shocked to discover that their stall had been pulled down, the sugarcane crushing unit dismantled and dumped by the wayside, and all their belongings strewn around.

The couple, who have been allotted a licence by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike under a Labour Department's scheme for people with disabilities, are still reeling from the depredation.

Parking area

Their space is now being used as parking area for a kitchenware showroom next door.

Those who continue to vend in the area testify to the fact that Mr. Veeranna and Ms. Kalavati, perceived as challenged and powerless, were singled out.

There are six other stalls vending on the pavement, and none of them was touched, though a few were asked to relocate a few yards away.

Bal Krishna, owner of Revanidha Tea Stall, who spoke on behalf of the speech-impaired couple, said: “We want to help them get justice.”

Police denial

The stall, which was previously under the K.R. Puram police limits, is now under the Mahadevpura police. Local people allege that the police were bribed by the showroom owners. When contacted, the Mahadevpura police denied the charge.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.