Police, civic body to jointly evict street vendors

More than 400 have refused to move to a plot earmarked for them

Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh felicitated traffic wardens and other social workers during the 100th phone-in programme here on Friday.

The police and the Mangaluru City Corporation will conduct a joint drive to evict streetvendors in the city, according to Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh and Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazir.

Speaking at an interaction after the conclusion of the 100th phone-in programme of the Mangaluru Police Commissioner on Friday, Mr. Nazir said land near Nehru Maidan had been developed with necessary infrastructure as a market place for streetvendors.

More than 400 of them, who have been issued with identity cards, have been asked to move there. But they have refused to occupy the place reserved for them.

He said the works on building footpaths in the central business district area were nearing completion. The drive will be started once the footpaths are ready.

Later, the vendors will be made to sell their produces at an earmarked place.

Mr. Suresh promised all support to the MCC for the drive.

When a journalist accused the MCC of failing to act against 22 buildings for failing to provide parking space in their buildings, Mr. Nazir said the civic body had taken action, and the same had been challenged in different legal forums.

Claiming that these violations were in buildings built when the 2009 zonal regulations were in place, Mr. Nazir said the MCC was strictly ensuring that buildings built after the 2011 zonal regulations provided parking place.

On vehicles with fish discharging waste water on the road, which has been a common complaint since the start of the phone-in programme in 2016, Mr. Suresh said police were making sincere efforts to address it and other grievances.

“Some we address immediately, while for others it takes sustained efforts. In some cases we do face constraints,” he said.

Mr. Suresh said of the 2,242 calls received during the phone-in programme, 1,574 were related to traffic, and 359 were related to law-and-order issues. Nearly 300 complaints were addressed.

While assuring that that phone-in programme, which has helped city police to establish good rapport with people, will continue, Mr. Suresh said the information provided during the programme has helped in cracking criminal cases.

Other government offices were taking serious note of actions taken by police, he said.