Hawkers in the city, facing forceful eviction in several traditional hawking areas and informal markets, staged a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue here on Thursday.
Later, led by the Samatha Sainik Dal and the Bangalore Hawkers and Roadside Vendors' Federation, the group submitted a memorandum to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Siddaiah demanding that civic officials stop their eviction being undertaken across the city.
From roads in Yelahanka in the north to Banashankari in the south, and in traditional hawking areas such as Gandhinagar, Majestic and Kalasipalya, hawkers say they are being asked to pack up and leave. The federation said if Mr. Siddaiah does not agree to protect their rights by Sunday, they will commence a hunger strike.
“How can the BBMP not think about the livelihood of around 2 lakh people in the city? If they want us to pack up, they must offer alternatives either in the form of hawking zones in central areas or other jobs,” a vendor fumed.
Samatha Sainik Dal Bangalore unit president R. Chandrashekar said that vendors were being harassed by the police and the BBMP officials who threatened them.
Authorities want to get rid of them saying that hawkers must go as they take up space on footpaths, affecting commuters and pedestrians. This is not a fair argument, Mr Chandrashekar says.
