BHUBANESWAR: The stand-off between the traders and vendors at Unit-II market building complex, which continued to remain shut for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, threatened to escalate into violence as the two groups engaged in a heated altercation in the afternoon.
Sources said members of Unit II Central Market Traders’ Association (CMTA) and the makeshift vendors under the ‘Balunkeswar Khyudra Byabasayi Sangh’ were staging protest at two different gates of the complex. The traders’ group allegedly tried to open the gates to let their members in for a meeting, which was opposed by the vendors. This led to a heated exchange between the two groups.
Police had to rush in to prevent the situation from deteriorating. Capital police station IIC Padmanava Pradhan said police personnel are patrolling the complex regularly following its closure a week back.The street vendors alleged despite holding protest peacefully, they were misbehaved with by the traders association members. “They (permanent traders) were the ones who closed the gates and blocked the pathway preventing us from doing any business in the complex. Action should be taken against them,” alleged a member of Khyudra Byabasayi Sangh. Members of the city vending zone association which had extended its support to the makeshift vendors said if the latter are not allowed to do business in the complex without rehabilitation, they will intensify the protest.
Members of CMTA refuted the allegations of any misbehaviour and said they have decided to wait for one more day to take a decision on their course of action. Association secretary Sisir Kumar Panda said a meeting involving representatives of 65 traders and market associations was convened on the day in which a core committee was formed to decide on the action to be taken.
“Over 90 per cent association representatives were present in the meeting in which it was decided that the core committee will wait till Monday to hold talks with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). If the civic body addresses our grievance for evicting makeshift vendors from the no-vending zone, we will reopen the shops. Else, the core committee will decide the day on which it will launch a citywide protest,” Panda said.