As the Kozhikode district administration remains indecisive on the reopening of beaches in the city and Beypore, stakeholders have appealed to the administration to take into consideration the plight of street vendors who have been reeling under poverty for the past eight eight months.
The Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry staged a protest at the Kozhikode beach on Sunday drawing attention to the plight of 102 vendors and demanded immediate reopening of beaches for them to survive. “The district administration can implement COVID protocol at the beach easily as there is a lot of space and physical distancing is practical. There just needs to be tight vigil,” said Hashim Kadakkalakam of the Chamber.
Street vendors have allegedly been neglected by the government as well as voluntary organisations all these months. Many of the bunk shops that were left on the beach at the beginning of the lockdown in March have now been damaged while some have gone missing. Vendors, who have been struggling to make ends meet, cleaned up the remaining bunks recently as the beach was thrown open to the public on November 12, only to be closed down two days later.
The beach was closed down as huge crowds started arriving on the first day itself and the authorities could not ensure that COVID protocol was being followed. “We cannot blame the public for this. Cooped up in their houses without any entertainment for eight months, they were frustrated, and the beach being the easiest outlet, they used it,” Mr. Hashim said. He pointed out that market places and malls had been opened, and asked why beaches could not be opened in a controlled manner. “The District Collector had no qualms flagging off a rally of around 40 people at the beach on Saturday, when Section 144 was in place. Why this double standard?” he asked.
Chamber president Subair Kolakkadan presided over the protest.
