Street vendors demand aid, end to police harassment

Hours after the police booked a street vendor for selling clothes on a footpath in Basavanagudi on Friday, the Federation of Bengaluru District Street Vendors Associations questioned the move to stop them from conducting business.

The statement from the federation came after the Basavanagudi traffic police issued a notice to Kumar, a 50-year-old street vendor and resident of Wilson Garden, for vending on Gandhi Bazaar main road and “obstructing the pedestrians walk”.

Noting that street vendors were barred from the business even before the COVID-19 lockdown due to fear over cholera outbreak, the federation said vendors have no income for the past two months and no money to pay for rent, gas or food.

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“Recently the chief minister announced compensation for several self-employed people but street vendors were left out. Vendors are also not being allowed to vend in many areas - Shivajinagar, Jayanagar 9th Block, Gandhi Bazaar for instance. Barely four to five people are allowed to vend and the rest are facing police cases and harassment,” it said.

‘Restart public transport’

Seeking an immediate end to the “police harassment”, the federation demanded a compensation of Rs 15,000 and interest-free loans of Rs 30,000. Besides, they urged the government to restart public transport.