Street vendors protest bulldozer action in Gurugram, seek protection of livelihood
Street vendors in Gurugram held a protest against municipal authorities regarding arbitrary evictions and the destruction of their stalls. The protesters, supported by trade unions, are demanding the implementation of the 2014 Street Vendors Act and the convening of the Town Vending Committee.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between urban development policies and the protection of informal livelihoods in rapidly growing Indian cities.
A large number of street vendors and workers staged a protest outside the office of Gurugram Municipal Commissioner on Thursday against alleged arbitrary eviction drives and bulldozer action that they said was destroying their livelihoods.
The protesters, led by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Rehri-Patri Mazdoor Union, took out a procession through the city before reaching the Municipal Commissioner’s office, where they submitted a memorandum of demands to the Joint Commissioner.
Addressing the protesters, CITU State general secretary Jai Bhagwan and Rehri-Patri Mazdoor Union Gurugram president Ashok Singh, among others, said the government had no right to destroy the livelihoods of people engaged in self-employment when it had failed to provide adequate employment opportunities.
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