BENGALURU: Former education minister Suresh Kumar has taken up the cause of street vendors, who are affected by the ban on the use of megaphones. In an emotional appeal to City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, he asked the department to keep in mind the situation these vendors are in due to the pandemic.
In a three-page letter to Pant, he said, “Your department has passed an order based on complaints by a few residents, banning the use of loudspeakers by vendors selling vegetables and fruits... Have you ever given a thought to their hardships and financial crisis...?”
The Covid-19 situation and lockdown severely hit vendors and their daily earnings, he said. “These people are not employees who get their salary on the first of every month. They walk for miles together, undeterred by the sun, rain, and cold...” Calling it “unfair” to ask them to scream to advertise their wares, he said it would be better to create awareness on the use of loudspeakers.