If you are in Chennai and looking for a place to buy old or second handed goods, even small child will direct you to go to famous Moore market located adjacent to central railway station. Starting from children comic books to engineering books, small pen to big machinery parts, you will get everything at cheaper rates of your choice. Though the buyers are very happy about the shopping, the vendors who sell these goods are struggling to sell their goods daily. The story of street vendors in Allikulam (Moore Market) will clearly explain you their struggle for legitimate livelihood. From generation to generation, the vendors are known for selling the old recycled goods to the public. Though there is no exact estimation about these special vendors, they claim that they are around 377 against 77000 street vendors in the city. However the group is small, but they are unique and special for their peculiar trade in the city. 

For many years, neither the government nor the corporation was interested in integrating or regulating this important community of the city. Interestingly, Hon’ble High Court of Chennai ordered the State Government to setup an implementation committee (Hawking) to identify the street vendors in the city to issue licenses in 2006. The Corporation of Chennai was assigned as implementing authority. The vendors welcomed the fruitful verdict of the court and celebrated it. Unfortunately, the celebration could not last for long time when they demanded the committee to allot space for all 377 vendors. The committee denied demand of vendors and delayed the process of allotting space for them. The committee was implementing the process in other parts of the city and forgot the demand of voiceless vendors.

 After filing court cases and giving many representations of vendors with support of Pennurimai Iyyakam, The committee yielded to allot space for 170 vendors as per the list in the writ petition filed against eviction in 1993.The vendors rejected and protested the decision of committee because the committee could not realize the natural growth of vendors from170 in 1993 to 377 in 2007. Due to continuous pressure from vendors, the corporation had drawn lots for 133 out of 377 vendors on 7.12.2007 to allot the space. But the determined vendors never gave up their struggle and demanded the committee to allot space for remaining 244 vendors.

Without hearing the plea of vendors, the committee surprisingly sent an order with help of some inspection report of 1999 to reject the demand on 21.08.2009. Evidently, the committee sent wrong order without fully analysing the inspection report which favors vendors. By deviating from its objectives, the committee is distressing the street vendors instead of helping them. NASVI hopes that the committee and corporation will consider the plea and take positive action to allot space for all 377 vendors and other vendors in the city soon.