‘Where should we go?’ evicted street vendors protest against footpath drive
Street vendors in India are protesting against a city-wide eviction drive that has destroyed their livelihoods and property. The protesters argue that the government failed to follow the legal procedures mandated by the Street Vendors Act of 2014.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the tension between urban development and the protection of informal labor rights in growing economies.
Thousands of street vendors, whose livelihoods were uprooted after the city corporations launched a drive to reclaim pedestrian space, gathered at Freedom Park on Wednesday. Markets across the city observed a bandh as vendors demanded an immediate halt to the eviction drive until town vending committees (TVCs) are constituted, and the provisions of the Street Vendors Act are implemented.
The article focuses heavily on the grievances and personal hardships of the vendors, framing the eviction as a violation of their rights.
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