Around 100 street vendors have been evicted by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) at Jayanagar 4th Block recently for allegedly encroaching on pavements. The vendors have alleged that they were forcefully evicted despite having identity cards (IDs).
The Bengaluru Jilla Beedhi Vyaapari Sanghatanegala Okkoota members said that with the help of the police and BBMP marshals, all the vendors were evicted and their carts seized and not returned. “Despite repeated requests, the officials forcefully evicted us and also harassed us while seizing our valuables including push carts which we are demanding they return to us,” Manju, a vendor, said.
“This is in violation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. Vendors who are affected gathered at the Office of the Joint Commissioner (South) seeking justice. A memorandum was also submitted,” said lawyer and activist Vinay Srinivasa.
Meanwhile, civic body officials alleged that the vendors were disrupting movement on pavements, and hence, had to be evicted. “We had to evict them since they were encroaching on pavements. We took the decision after inspecting the roads that were congested,” an official said.