PROTEST AGAINST MCL: Over 2000 vendors participated in the protest rally and march
Author(s): City Air NewsRally being staged by vendors in Ludhiana on Thursday. Ludhiana, September 24, 2015: The officials of the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana in connivance with certain political bosses are allegedly violating the “Protection
cityairnews
Sep 24, 2015 09:30
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Rally being staged by vendors in Ludhiana on Thursday.
Ludhiana, September 24, 2015: The officials of the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana in connivance with certain political bosses are allegedly violating the “Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Act 2014” with impunity and denying the right to livelihood to the poor vendors. This was stated by Com D P Maur- General Secretary Joint Council of Trade Unions and Tiger Singh representative of National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) and Rehri Fhari Federation Ludhiana while addressing the rally organized by the Ludhiana Rehri Fahri Federation at the Mini Secretariat Ludhiana who were protesting against their displacement from the place they have working for last several years behind Vardhman Mill on Samrala Chowk Ludhiana.
Over 2000 vendors participated in the protest rally and march. It is worth mentioning here that rehries in this area were not allowed to operate on the 8th September during the visit of deputy chief minister Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal by the police. After he had left, the poor vendors went to park their Rehries in that area. But the municipal corporation officials with large contingent of police removed them forcibly. After this the poor vendors staged dharna at the Chandigarh Road. The police beat them mercilessly injuring large number of poor vendors.
It is pertinent to mention here that they have been parking their Rehries at these places for several years and no notice has ever been served to them by the corporation. The vendors cannot be removed until and unless an alternative place is provided to them. Moreover an Act on this issue was passed in the Parliament in 2014 in the name of Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014. As per chapter II clause 3(3) states “ No street vendor will be evicted or, as the case may be , relocated till the survey specified under sub-section (1) has been completed and the certificate of vending has been issued to all the street vendors.” But the government has not done anything on this to provide alternative places and to issue certificates of vending as per the above clause of the act. Instead the corporation in connivance with the police is trying to dislocate the vendors, thereby snatching away the livelihood of the poor people on one hand and violating the act on the other hand.
Com Gurnam Singh Sidhu and Kamal Kant Gupta while addressing said that on 11th September a deputation of Joint Council of Trade Unions, Ludhiana met the Commissioner Police and the Commissioner Corporation regarding forcible removal of Rehris, Fharies, lathi charge on them injuring about 20 persons and registration of false police cases against them the police commissioner and the commissioner corporation assured the deputation that the police cases will be withdrawn and the vendors will be restored with immediate effect. But even after 13 days the vendors have not been restored to their places. After the rally they marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and the office of Commissioner Corporation and presented memorandum to them.
Others who addressed include Dr Arun Mitra-Asstt. Sec. CPI Distt. Ludhiana, Com Vijay Kumar- Corporation Kewal Singh Benwait-PSPCL, Froze Master-Hosiery Workers Union, Com Kuldeep Singh Binder, Com Jagdish Chander CITU, Valaity Khan, Gurmail Singh Medely-PSSF, Vijay Kumar, Dinesh Tiwari, Musafir, Arjun, Ram Naresh Gupta, Arjun Bhagat, Ram Asis and Siban Gupta from NASVI.
Date:
Thursday, September 24, 2015
