
BENGALURU: Thousands of street vendors from across Bengaluru will stage a major protest at Freedom Park on Tuesday, opposing what they describe as increasing threats to their livelihoods, rising harassment by civic officials, and years of government neglect.
Organised by the Karnataka Pragathipara Beedi Vyaparigala Sangha, the protest will include vendors from major market areas such as KR Market, Shivajinagar, Jayanagar, Vijayanagar, Yeshwanthpur, and Gandhi Bazaar.
The protest comes in response to recent statements by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who said that street vending in the city would soon be allowed only in designated vending zones or through mobile vending, and that vendors would be required to carry identity cards.
Vendors argue that this proposal violates the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which protects their right to trade without such restrictions. Since the announcement, vendors say civic officials have intensified crackdowns, including frequent seizure of goods and eviction drives.
The group pointed out that although a city-wide survey had identified around 34,000 vendors, thousands more remain unrecognised and excluded from official records. As a result, they have no legal protection and are often the first to be targeted during enforcement actions. Meanwhile, the number of vendors who have received loans under the PM-SVANidhi scheme has crossed 70,000, highlighting a major gap in the identification process.
Even those who were recognised in the survey say they are yet to receive their ID cards or vending certificates, leaving them vulnerable. Vendors also raised concerns over the lack of basic facilities in market areas, such as toilets, clean drinking water, electricity, and shelter. Recent thefts and complete absence of social security have only worsened their condition, they added.
Calling for dignity and protection under the law, the vendor groups said the protest is not just about halting evictions, but about demanding the right to trade, better infrastructure, and full social security for the city’s street vending community.