Unlock 2.0: Ignored, 2,000 street vendors uncertain about future

Majority living in rented houses

– A majority of these vendors are native of the remotest hilly areas of Kathua and Udhampur districts.

-In search of jobs, they have migrated to cities and towns.

-A majority of these vendors are living in rented houses with their families.

Lockdown and Livelihood

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July1

Ignored in the ‘unlock 2.0 guidelines’ issued by the authorities on Tuesday, over 2,000 street food vendors across Jammu are uncertain about earning their livelihood because they have again been restricted from starting their work.

Instead of easing some restrictions and allowing these poor street vendors to restart their work after a gap of three and half months, the authorities in the new guidelines for ‘unlock 2.0’, issued this afternoon made it clear that instructions earlier issued on June 7 would continue to remain valid till July 3.

The street food vendors were hoping that in unlock 2.0, restrictions imposed on their work would be eased as the authorities have already allowed functioning of other sectors. “We have no option but to return to our native place in Ramnagar”, Rajinder, a youth, who used to feed his six-member family by selling Kaladi in the Gandhi Nagar area.

After being repeatedly moving from one place to another, a number of unemployed youth had established their small ‘food-point’ at a specified ‘rehri-zone’ to earn their livelihood. But the ongoing prolonged lockdown has shattered all their hopes and there is uncertainty about their future.

On March 18, the authorities had directed these street vendors to shut down and so far, no decision has been taken regarding opening of these “rehri-zones”. These street vendors also provided part-time jobs to many students, who used to collect orders and provide food to customers on their vehicles.