Street vendors numbering over 200 stormed the offices of the Mangaluru City Corporation on Wednesday demanding immediate issue of identity cards and conducting the meeting of the Town Vending Committee.
They entered the chamber of the Commissioner, who was away, and elicited an assurance from a top official that the committee, which has not met for the last six months, would meet on or before April 16.
The honorary president of Dakshina Kannada Street Vendors Association Sunil Kumar Bajal said identity cards had been ready several months ago but they were not being distributed to them.
The officials in Udupi and Bantwal had already distributed them.
The cards would help street vendors take benefit of schemes such as Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and a scholarship scheme.
Vending zones
In addition, the corporation, which had identified several vending zones at Falnir, Kadri, near RTO office, etc. after inspecting them through members of the Town Vending committee, had not initiated any action to provide the facilities to street vendors.
Mr. Bajal told The Hindu that though the laws prohibited “raids” on vendors, they were still being carried out. He said street vendors were harassed at Kavoor and Kuloor on Tuesday.
These and other issues were to be decided by the Town Vending Committee, of which he is a part, but the meetings had not being convened. He said there would be a bigger agitation if the meeting was not convened on April 16.
