KRISHNAGIRI: Members of the Krishnagiri district roadside small vendors association, along with CITU functionaries, staged a protest in Hosur on Tuesday urging the Municipal Corporation to form vending committee and stop goons from extorting vendors.
CITU district treasurer G Sridharan said there are about 5, 000 vendors operating in the city and many of them are threatened by goons into paying mamool. He added that licence of the contractor who collected vending fees from the vendors expired nine months ago, and the corporation was yet to issue fresh licence.Further, many vendors said they are facing eviction in Muneeshwar Nagar, Bagalur road, Rayakottai road but they have not been allotted alternative place to operate.
HMC Commissioner D Sneha said enumeration of street vendors was over and identity cards would be issued in three weeks, following which vending committee would be formed. Further, she told the vendors to give complaint with evidence about goons, so that she could initiate action against them.
Sokkamma, who runs tiffin shop in a push cart says, “ How can we complain against goons by taking their pictures. Do you think they will let us survive if we click their pictures?”