‘Operation Tiger’ Against Illegal Street Vendors to Continue

Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur announced that the ongoing ‘Operation Tiger,’ targeting illegal street vendors, will persist. Addressing the media on Monday, August 5, he stated, “We’ve received numerous complaints about illegal petty shops through our phone-in program and council meetings. ‘Operation Tiger’ began on July 29 to address these concerns. Street vendors have occupied streets and footpaths, causing disturbances to the public and traffic. Moreover, the food served is often unhygienic, with vendors using unclean oil, reusing water for cleaning, and selling harmful products like cigarettes, gutka, tasting powder, ajinomoto, and alcohol.”

He added, “During our operation, we found insects and cockroaches in some establishments. On July 27, the Street Vendors Association submitted a request letter but did not meet with me personally.”

Mayor Shetty further explained, “The Town Vending Committee identified 1,047 street vendors, but only 10 were symbolically issued ID cards. The Street Vendors Association claimed that officials evicted shops with ID cards, stating 667 ID cards were issued. However, vendors did not agree to the 18 conditions imposed when ID cards were issued, resulting in only 10 symbolic IDs.”

He concluded, “We will establish vending zones and food streets in the coming days. While I am concerned about the poor, vendors must operate within the established system.”