BENGALURU: Hundreds of street vendors gathered in front of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head office on Tuesday and demanded that the civic body issue ID cards and stop evicting them.
“It is our right to do business on the streets. Several court judgments have also said that the rights of street vendors should be protected,” said S Babu, president of the Federation of Street Vendors’ Organisation.
Syed Zameer, joint secretary of the organisation, said thousands of people under the BBMP have adopted street trading as their means of livelihood and support their families. But recently, BBMP officials have been cracking down on street vendors across the city, violating all laws and court orders, he added and appealed that the harassment should be stopped.
Vendors also demanded elevated stores in Jayanagar, Mahadevapura, Malleswaram, Banashankari, Moodalapalya and other areas for street vendors, to compensate for loss as some have been evicted by BBMP. They also wanted a survey of street vendors under each town trade committee. The vendors also submitted a memorandum to the BBMP chief commissioner to look into their issues.