Lucknow street vendors put stiff resistance to eviction drive
Perturbed over the continuous eviction carried out by the municipal corporation and the police, more than one thousand street vendors of GP Road, Mandir Road and Aminabad Park road of Aminabad ward of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh put up a brave resistance to the municipal authorities and the police, and forced them to retreat. The protesting vendors showed the copies of the recent Supreme Court order and the Street Vendors Bill passed by the Lok Sabha and dared the authorities to tear them apart in full glare of the media. The local MLA also came in support of the street vendors.
The protest of the vendors forced the authorities to call a meeting with the street vendor leaders and the NASVI functionaries. The meeting decided that the vending areas would be declared as no parking zone and the vehicles would have to be parked at the Jhandewala parking of the municipal corporation. It was also decided that there would be a yellow line in both side of road which will decide the boundary of shops of street vendors.
Meanwhile, the survey of street vendors has begun in three zones out of six zones in Lucknow.
Street vendors protest eviction in Guwahati
More than 500 street vendors of an area near Guwahati Medical College in Guwahati, Assam staged a protest demonstration at the office of the commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation demanding stopping of harassment and eviction of street vendors. Guwahati based NASVI affiliate sSTEP has slammed the municipal corporation for adopting hostile attitude towards street vendors and demanded of the state chief secretary to comply with the Supreme Court order which mandates formation of Town Vending Committee and proper settlement of all street vendors.
Udaipur street vendors join NASVI
NASVI has reached out to the street vendors of Udaipur in Rajasthan. In a meeting held on 29-30 October, an organization of street vendors selling vegetables and fruits Mewar Sabzi evam Fal Vikreta Sangh opted for joining the NASVI to spearhead their campaign for getting vending licenses and vending zones. A large number of women street vendors of the city, particularly those of Mukherjee Chowk market, have also planned to form their organization and join the platform of NASVI.
