The Vegetable Vendors’ Association has announced resumption of trade following a request made by farmers to continue purchase of vegetables from them.
Announcing this at a press conference on Friday, Moinuddin Bilagi, one of the members and a former corporator said though the traders wanted to continue their agitation to protest against the eviction of vendors by the corporation on November 21 from the Nehru Market lane, since the farmers began making fervent requests, the traders decided acknowledge it and resume business.
“We were determined to continue our agitation despite incurring heavy loss, but since farmers said they are already in distress owing to drought, they wanted us to resume trade. We will thus resume it from Saturday. We will purchase vegetables from farmers at the APMC,” Mr. Bilagi said.
They have been on an indefinite strike since November 23, and on November 25, they withdrew the protest after an assurance by from Deputy Commissioner Y.S. Patil to provide them an alternative place for their shops near the Nehru Market itself.
He said owing to the protest launched by the vendors, farmers were unable to sell vegetables, because of which, they were losing their earning every day. Similarly, even the traders were incurring losses.
“In the last nine days, ₹6 crore worth of business has hit. The poor hawkers have incurred heavy loss as they were earning around ₹400-500/day,” he said.
Though it was stated that the vendors would resume their business, he said the association would give eight days to the district administration to provide an alternative place for the evicted vendors.
“Though the district administration has given us Radio Maidan of the city to do the business temporarily, we will not wait for too long. If work on rehabilitation does not start within a week, we will continue our agitation near the DC office. We will be left with no choice,” he said.
With regard to getting a stay order on the lane connecting Bukhari Masjid, where the corporation planned to set up platforms for the vendors, Mr. Bilagi said the district administration should get a stay order vacated as early as possible.
“If there is a need, the association will approach the shopkeeper who has obtained stay to get it withdrawn in the interest of poor vegetable vendors,” he said.
Interestingly, the man who has obtained the stay order, is also a wholesale vegetable trader.
