Aizawl: ‘Mahni Thlai Thar Zuar Pawl’ — an association of women who sell vegetables they grow themselves — has urged the Mizoram govt and the general public not to ignore their right to livelihood while addressing traffic congestion and street cleanliness in Aizawl.In a press statement issued on Monday, the group acknowledged the growing concerns over roadside parking, construction materials encroaching upon footpaths, and illegal vending. While they supported efforts to make Aizawl a cleaner and less congested city, they expressed concern that calls to remove all street vendors might unfairly target poor rural women who depend on city vending for survival.“We, who bring fresh produce grown in our villages, also want a clean and orderly city,” the association said, adding, “However, if the govt fails to provide us with suitable alternative spaces and pushes us into cramped corners of the New Market building as if we were goods to be stashed away, our livelihood will suffer.”The group argued that such forced relocation, without a viable alternative, could amount to a violation of their right to livelihood under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.They further pointed out that Mizoram Assembly had endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which recognises the rights of indigenous communities to pursue traditional means of livelihood.
