Rehri Fadi Union to launch agitation on 29; Demand implementation of Street Vendors Act

Chandigarh, September 18, 2014: The Footpath Cycles & Rehri Fadi Workers Union threatened today to start indefinite dharna in front of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) office in Sector 17 on 29th September. The Union has been demanding license to every street vendor and freedom from the atrocities done to them by police, estate office, MCC and the health department of the UT Chandigarh.
One of the main demands of the union is to implement the “Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014” in UT Chandigarh, which is already in practice in around 23 states. This Act of the Parliament of India was enacted to regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights.
Unfortunately, the street vendors or hawkers have received raw treatment from the State apparatus. In Chandigarh area too, they are a harassed lot and are constantly victimized by the officials of the local authorities, the police etc, who regularly target them for extra income and teat them with extreme contempt.  
Addressing a press conference at Chandigarh Press Club, the Union president Mr Ram Milan Gaur said, “It is high time to implement the Street Vendor Act in Chandigarh. The street vendors need a safe work environment, 1200 of whom are already registered with the union. We demand to issue work permits to these vendors and seek at least 8 booths for different types of vendors in every sector on the pattern of Verka booths.”
The union demonstrated in front of the MCC office on 15th September, 2014 and handed over a memorandum to the additional commissioner of MCC, Sarita Malik. Numerous letters have been sent to different authorities from time to time in this regard, but to no avail. Therefore, the union is now determined to take the agitation to the next level and sit on dharna for indefinite time, until all the demands are met.
Rampal, general secretary, said, “As per the law, all the eligible street vendors must be brought under the umbrella of insurance, healthcare, electric and water supply. They should be given the benefit of easy loans, social security, education, training and skills enhancement programmes. Street trading being a fundamental right has to be made available to the citizens subject to Article 19 (6) of the Constitution.”
The union, associated with the National Association of the Street Vendors of India (NASVI) New Delhi, has circulated a letter among all the street vendors in the City to gather at the Matth Mandir Ground in Sector 20, from where a procession will be taken out to the MCC office in Sector 17 on September 29.
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