Dugri, others support protesting vendor

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 19

Hunger strike by a street vendor against the Municipal Corporation for impounding his cart and articles entered its second day today. A youth Akali leader, Meetpal Singh Dugri, sat along with the protesting vendor, Ravinderpal Singh, outside the Zone D office of the MC at Sarabha Nagar.

The vendor runs a cart named, “Mr Singh Food King”, near a gurdwara at Model Town. He spent last night in the open outside the Zone D office.

The Akali leader, protesting vendor and their supporters made an attempt to enter the MC premises to meet Municipal Commissioner Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar today. But the police stopped the vendor from entering the office. Meanwhile, Assistant Town Planner SS Bindra reached there and controlled the situation.

Dugri alleged that the Congress government and the Municipal Corporation were exploiting poor people. The MC removed the vendor's cart on the directions of a local Congress leader, he alleged.

“The vendor said he paid composition fee to the MC every month and had all required permissions. The officials of the Municipal Corporation were harassing innocent people at the behest of Congress leaders. The Local Bodies Department has been a total failure and the minister concerned has no control over officials who target innocent people,” alleged Dugri.

He said Ravinderpal also offered food free of cost to children learning Gurbani. It was unfortunate that the MC was targeting such people, he said.

Ravinderpal said the civic body had impounded carts of other vendors too but those were returned later. “The staff concerned had also lifted my articles with the cart. They asked me not to station my cart at the same place. They also suggested me that should settle the matter with the Congress leader who had complained against me. I had met an official of the tehbazari wing but he threatened me with an FIR. I paid monthly composition fee of Rs 1,600 to the civic body. My cart has been impounded at least 20 times in the past seven years. I want justice,” 

he said.

Notably, no member of the Rehri Fari union has come to the support Ravinderpal. A number of youngsters, some of whom came in BMWs and other cars, expressed solidarity with the vendor today. He has more than 7,000 followers on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the vendor called off his strike after MC officials assured him that his cart would be returned after fulfilling the required procedure. 

Assistant Commissioner Jasdev Singh Sekhon was unavailable for comment.