KANNIYAKUMARI: With the upcoming 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the Thiruvalluvar statue, street vendors in Kanniyakumari were upset after authorities asked them to vacate the premises, where they have been doing business for several years.
DMDK state IT wing deputy secretary Sivakumar Nagappan said, "The vendors are mostly residents from in and around Kanniyakumari. They have been doing business on the streets, along the beach and around the temple for years. The authorities' decision to vacate them from the premises will affect their livelihood."
Krishnamani, a vendor, said, "I have been doing a small business on the roadside near Gandhimandapam for about 24 years. Panchayat authorities' decision to evict us is to control the crowd, which will increase during the holiday season. This will affect many vendors like me."
A 65-year-old vendor P Tharmaraj said that he along with his wife have been selling tea, cool drinks and water to tourists to make ends meet. "We have not disturbed any tourists, without this business, we do not know any other means to live."
He added that a group of vendors went to the district collectorate on Thursday, to return their ration cards. However, officials assured them that they would take action and return the cards.
Meanwhile, official sources said that the premises around the sunrise point was the property of the HR&CE department. "Some vendors were littering the sunrise point. As the silver jubilee of the unveiling of the Thiruvalluvar statue will be held on December 31 and January 1, development works are being carried out. We want to ensure that the sunrise point and area around Triveni Sangamam are clean and tourist-friendly."
Sources said that vendors would not be evicted permanently and only after setting-up another area for the vendors, they would be asked to move out.