Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 03 2008:
Assistant Coordinator of the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) Rakesh Tripathi drew the attention of the SPF Government to ameliorate conditions of evicted street-vendors failing which the body would resort to various form of agitations.
"We will launch agitation including blocking the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh's gate in case the Government fails to honour our legitimate demands," Rakesh said with reference to plight of street vendors of the State who were recently herded away for their roadside business sites by Government agencies reasoning that street vendors clog traffic.
Urging State authorities to redress woes being endured by street vendors, Rakesh posed that while the street vendors, mostly women folk, were chased away from the road corners the problem of traffic congestion remains as usual as a large number of vehicles are authorised to park on both sides of the road.
Terming as 'very unfortunate' denial of means of livelihood to the street vendors without prior information, the NASVI functionary disclosed of submitting representations to authorities of Imphal Municipal Council (IMC), the Labour Department and Manipur Housing & Urban Development (MAHUD) to chalk out a concrete policy to facilitate street vendors sustain economic activities.
"We will launch agitation including blocking the gate of the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, who is also in-charge of MAHUD, if his Government fails to comply with our legitimate demands," Rakesh cautioned.
Meanwhile, State's representative of NASVI K Satyajit informed that there are 23,903 vendors holding license issued by the IMC and carrying out business activities in the three women-dominated markets of Imphal compared to around 2111, including 1668 women, unauthorised vendors.