Andhra Pradesh: Hawkers in Kakinada district forced to cough up hefty fines
KAKINADA: Hawkers have been alleging that cops are arbitrarily imposing penalties on them for the minutest of reasons. Several hawkers in the past few months have been fined an average of Rs 100. These traders survive as daily wage earners, the fine imposed leaves them with little or nothing at the end of the day.
“There have been several cases in the past few months. They are poor people and need all the support that they can get. It is very difficult for them to make ends meet. Imposing challans on them will only worsen their financial situation,” said Raju, a social activist. Several of these worried hawkers have expressed their inability to pay these fines.
Activists point out that Kakinada Municipal Corporation’s planned vendor zoning system and vendor cards could greatly improve the situation. They added that mild regulation could create win-win situations for both the hawkers and traders.
“The corporation should go full swing with regulation and issuing of these cards. Once this happens, harassment by traffic police will stop and the traffic will move unhindered,” said Raju.
Commuters maintain that several hawkers occupy large portions of pavement in the city, causing traffic snarls. “Unless there is strict regulation, nothing will change.
Traffic will continue to be difficult to manage. Those who will be most affected will be the commuters,” said Ramana, a resident of Vakalapudi.