4 hrs ago
Fruit Cart Vendors Protest GVMC Removals Under Operation Lungs
Fruit sellers in Visakhapatnam held a protest on Monday.
They said city officials were removing their pushcarts.
The vendors said selling fruit is how they support their families.
They want to continue working in the same area.
The group said earlier complaints to officials had not solved the problem.
Protesters referred to Supreme Court guidelines about special vending areas and basic facilities.
They also said large shopping malls were treated differently from small traders.
They asked the municipal corporation to provide fair treatment and allow the carts to return.
The Visakha Footpath Fruits Welfare Association held a dharna at the foot of Simhachalam Hill on Monday.
Vendors demanded that the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation stop removing fruit carts under Operation Lungs.
The association said cart removals were disrupting the livelihoods of small traders and migrant workers.
Protesters cited 2014 Supreme Court guidelines calling for hawker zones and basic amenities for street vendors.
The association sought permission for removed carts to resume business in Venkojipalem and alleged unequal treatment compared with shopping malls.
- Who
- The Visakha Footpath Fruits Welfare Association, fruit-cart vendors, AITUC leaders and other pushcart workers.
- What
- They staged a dharna opposing the removal of fruit carts under Operation Lungs.
- Where
- At the foot of Simhachalam Hill in the Venkojipalem East constituency.
- When
- Monday.
- Why
- They said the removals were harming livelihoods and alleged that street-vending protections and equal treatment were being ignored.
Street Vendors’ Position
Civic Regulation Position
Cart removals
Street Vendors’ Position
The association says removing carts prevents small traders from earning a livelihood and wants the carts returned to Venkojipalem.
Civic Regulation Position
The removals are being carried out under Operation Lungs, which protesters described as connected to urban development and traffic regulation.
Street-vending facilities
Street Vendors’ Position
Protesters say the GVMC should establish hawker zones and provide identity cards, drinking water and toilets as required by the 2014 Supreme Court guidelines.
Civic Regulation Position
The association alleges that the GVMC is not implementing those provisions while conducting the removal drive.
Treatment of businesses
Street Vendors’ Position
Vendors argue that small traders are being treated differently from large shopping malls and want a level playing field.
Civic Regulation Position
Protesters say shopping malls continue operating from basements even though those spaces were designated for parking.
Key facts
- Protesting group
- Visakha Footpath Fruits Welfare Association
- Civic body named
- Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC)
- Municipal initiative
- Operation Lungs
- Protest location
- Foot of Simhachalam Hill, Venkojipalem East constituency
- Main demand
- Allow carts removed in Venkojipalem to resume business in the same area
- Guidelines cited
- The Supreme Court’s 2014 guidelines on hawker zones, identity cards, drinking water and toilets
- Earlier representations
- Petitions were submitted to local elected, police and GVMC officials, followed by a fresh petition to the District Collector
Sources
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