The Roadside Vendors and Sunday Market Traders Association, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), has urged the Government to implement provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 that guarantees livelihood to them.
A resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting of the Roadside Vendors and Sunday Market Traders Association here on Tuesday.
T. Murugan, president of CITU said the Puducherry municipality was disturbing poor street vendors while it was not taking any action to evict persons who had encroached upon Government poramboke land in the city.
He alleged that the municipal authorities were going after street vendors holding them responsible for the city’s problems without creating facilities such as parking lot.
The authorities should give up the move and the police should not harass them.
The proposed schemes such as setting up parking for four wheeler parking on Big Canal, construction of multi-storey parking at Old Prison complex have been gathering dust and not implemented so far, he said.
The Government should also take effective steps for implementing the provisions of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 and create awareness among officials about the Act.
The new Act was enacted by the Centre only to protect the rights of urban street vendors and to regulate street vending activities. A committee should be constituted and it should conduct a survey of all existing street vendors.
The vendors led by T. Murugan and R. Rajangam, secretary of the CPI (M) later took out a rally and handed over a memorandum to Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy in support of their demands.
