Street vendors stopped at Chandigarh border

Tribune News Service

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Panchkula, January 21

Street vendors of the city, who were marching towards the Haryana Assembly in Chandigarh from Sector 5 here as they had given an ultimatum to district authorities over their demands, were stopped by the police by putting heavy barricades on the both sides of road at the Chandigarh entry point near Housing Board Chowk on Tuesday. They had been protesting against the authorities outside the Panchkula Municipal Corporation building in Sector 14 from past many weeks.

Subsequently, their representatives met Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja at his office in Sector 1 and apprised him of the situation.

The Deputy Commissioner called in Executive Officer Jarnail Singh of the Panchkula civic body and gave street vendors the assurance to solve the matter in two days. He further asked all the authorities concerned to hold a meeting with representatives of street vendors for speedy redressal of the matter.

Amarnath Verma, general secretary of the Footpath Worker Swarozgar Bachao Sangarsh Samiti, Panchkula, said that they will continue their dharna outside MC office in Sector 14 until their demands are met.

“Our primary demands include reinstatement of old Town Vending Committee, returning of belongings ceased by the HSVP and MC under its anti-encroachment drive and proper implementation of Street Vendors Act,” he said.

A few days ago, the Panchkula Municipal Corporation had ploughed the vacated plot outside their office in Sector 14 to restrict these street vendors from protesting there. Sumedha Kataria, the MC Commissioner, had said that voicing their demands is okay, but there is a dedicated place for protests in Sector 5.

Meanwhile, the civic body has also finalized a plan for rehabilitation of 458 street vendors by allotting them sites in Sector 19. For this, the draw of lots will take place on January 25.

Haryana Speaker and Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta had recently said that he is committed to the rehabilitation of street vendors in the city. He had said that for this the identification of more sites is underway.