Mangaluru: Street vendors held a protest near Thokkottu Junction Friday under the leadership of Ullal taluk committee of Dakshina Kannada District Street Vendors Association, affiliated to CITU, against public works department’s operation that bulldozed their petty shops from Thokkottu to Natekal. Vendors from Thokkottu, Kuthar, Deralakatte, Natekal, Kotekar and Talapady participated.CITU DK district general secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal, who inaugurated the protest, criticised the bulldozing and questioned whether the govt action against the poor was an achievement.The association honorary president BK Imthiyaz said laws meant to protect street vendors have been ineffective in the country. “The bulldozer attack on the poor does not reflect well on the govt,” he said, adding that vendors are willing to tackle the oppression of corrupt departments. He said the lack of a survey by local bodies, which denied vendors their legal rights, led to such actions.Senior farmer leader Krishnappa Salian, DYFI taluk secretary Rizwan Harekala and association president Muzaffar Ahmad also spoke.Convention on Feb 17To counter alleged harassment by various departments, a convention will be held on Feb 17 at 10am at Munnur Youth Club Hall in Kuthar. It will discuss issues such as street vendor surveys, ID card distribution, PM SVANidhi loans, training and other matters, Imthiyaz said.He said a delegation had encouraged vendors to continue their trade and held consultations on the next steps in their struggle. He warned of further protests if the crackdown continued.
