Mangalore, July 7: Upping the ante against the Civic Tiger operation initiated by the Mangalore City Corporation against them since May, the Street-side and footpath vendors, organized a human chain along with the elected representatives and members of around 25 organizations to register their protest on Thursday from State Bank bus terminus to Lady Goschen hospital, the areas where they usually carry out their trade.
Ramanath Rai, District President of Congress addressing the protest said that the MCC has not initiated any pro-poor step ever since BJP took over the reigns of the civic body three years ago. The move to target the vendors is a continuation of its anti-poor stand, he said.
He said “We can find the street vendors throughout the country. But the 'political conspiracy' hatched by the BJP led MCC is targeting the street vendors unnecessarily in the city.”
Sunil Kumar Bajal, convener of the Beedibadi Vyaparigala Horata Samithi said that the samithi had been staging protest for the last two months, and it would continue the fight for street vendors till they get justice.
Criticising District in charge Minister Krishna J Palemar, Mr Bajal said though the street vendors have been staging protest for the last two months, the Minister did not respond to the woes of the street vendors so far. Hence, protest will also be staged in front of Palemar's house, he said.
He said the samithi would also stage indefinite hunger strike from July 13, which will be attended by Samithi members.
B Madhava of the Communist Part of India (Marxist) said that the anti-poor and anti-backward class and minority policy of MCC affecting the large number of street vendors who were eking out their living by selling produce on the street, a number of people have been put to hardship. Many of the street vendors are in pitiable condition, he said.
JDS leader MG Hegde, Shashiraj Shetty, Corporators Lancelot Pinto, Shashidhar Hegde, Former Mayor Ashraf and other leaders took part in the protest.
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