Bengaluru: Street vendors‘ organisations on Wednesday held a citywide hawkers’ bandh and staged a massive protest, accusing the Karnataka government and the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) of carrying out eviction drives in violation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
The Street Vendors’ Joint Action Committee alleged that thousands of vendors had been evicted without due process, with authorities confiscating vending carts and goods, severely affecting their livelihoods.
Vendors alleged illegal evictions
According to the committee, Bengaluru is home to nearly 1.5 lakh street vendors, many of whom depend entirely on vending to support their families.
Union leaders alleged that officials had removed vendors from major roads, used earthmovers to clear vending spaces and seized carts and merchandise without issuing prior notice or following the legal procedures laid down under the Street Vendors Act.
“We are not against keeping roads and footpaths accessible. But the law clearly lays down the procedure for regulating street vending. Instead of implementing the Act, authorities are evicting vendors without following the legal process,” said S. Babu, President of the Federation of Bengaluru District Street Vendors Union.
Vendors demanded restoration of vending spaces
The committee demanded that evicted vendors be allowed to return to their original vending locations. Where that was not immediately possible, it sought temporary permission for vendors to operate along road margins until Town Vending Committees took a final decision.
The organisations also demanded the return of confiscated carts and goods, a comprehensive survey of all vendors, issuance of identity cards to eligible street vendors, and the constitution and strengthening of Town Vending Committees under the newly formed municipal corporations.
They further urged the government to widen footpaths wherever feasible so that both pedestrians and street vendors could coexist without compromising public safety.
PM SVANidhi beneficiaries affected
The committee said nearly 80,000 vendors in Bengaluru had received loans under the PM SVANidhi scheme. However, it alleged that only around 34,000 vendors had been identified during a recent survey, leaving thousands outside the official records and without access to benefits.
The protest highlighted the growing tensions between civic authorities’ efforts to clear encroachments and vendors’ demands for protection of their livelihoods under the Street Vendors Act.