Bengaluru street vendors allege eviction threats ahead of Safe Footpath drive

Street vendors in Bengaluru, including those in Hebbal and Vijayanagar, have raised concerns over receiving eviction threats from civic officials ahead of the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) upcoming 'Safe Footpath' drive. The Karnataka Pragathipara Beedi Vyaparigala Sangha, an AICCTU-affiliated union representing the vendors, issued a statement on June 29 alleging that municipal officials are misusing recent ministerial remarks to threaten illegal evictions.

The tension follows a statement made last week by Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, who announced that the corporation would remove encroachments and impose heavy penalties if they continued past the June 30 deadline. The 'Safe Footpath' drive is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

According to the union, officials have already visited areas like Hebbal and Vijayanagar, warning vendors that evictions would commence from July 1. This has triggered widespread anxiety among local street vendors who fear the sudden loss of their livelihoods.

The Karnataka Pragathipara Beedi Vyaparigala Sangha has urged the minister to meet with their representatives before launching the campaign. While the union welcomed the focus on proper footpath usage, it condemned the preemptive threats from municipal corporations under the GBA.

The union emphasized that street vendors are legitimate users of public spaces under the Street Vendors (Protection and Regulation of Livelihoods) Act, 2014. Many of these vendors have already been surveyed by authorities, obtained loans under the PM SVANidhi scheme, and joined registered trade unions.

Under the Street Vendors Act, authorities must serve a 30-day notice before executing any eviction. Furthermore, Section 3(3) of the Act stipulates that no vendor can be evicted without a comprehensive survey and registration process.

Advocate Vinay Sreenivasan, an office-bearer of the union, highlighted the lack of compliance by municipal corporations, noting that authorities have failed to survey all street vendors, establish town trading committees, or designate proper vending zones.

Instead of evicting vendors, the Sangha has called for the creation of wider footpaths that can accommodate both pedestrians and traders. They also urged the government to penalize illegal parking and commercial encroachments by established shops, rather than targeting vulnerable street vendors.