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Bhubaneswar, March 25: The row over renovation of Unit II central market has been intensified with the hawkers threatening to storm into the market if their demand for rehabilitation of over 200 street vendors is not met by the government.
Besides, the permanent traders’ body of Unit II market is also up in arms against hawkers and firmly objecting their demands for rehabilitation.
The street vendors association—Kutumbh Chandi Vyavasayi Sangha (KCVS) claimed that the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and general administration department (GAD) have violated the High Court’s order of rehabilitating 215 hawkers who were permitted by the court to do business inside the market.
“I condemned the move of the said departments who have breached the court’s orders that says bona fide hawkers of Unit II market must be rehabilitated before their eviction from the market,” KCVS secretary Naba Mohanty said.
Mohanty claimed that hawkers were staging demonstration for the last 13 days in front of BMC office and there is no progress over settlement of street vendors. “The government departments have taken law into their hands. We would soon reoccupy the market, irrespective of tight security arrangement,” he rued.
The posh market has been fortified while at least one dozen police personnel have been deployed to prevent hawkers from entering into the market.
The central market association (CMA) has installed two huge screens and speakers in the market while railings have also been erected to deter hawkers from encroaching upon the pathway.
CMA’s secretary Pradyumna Jena told this newspaper that the union is beautifying the market and trying to give it a massive facelift to woo the shoppers. “For a long time, hawkers encroached upon the market space because of which there was no space for pedestrians to stroll around the market. Ornamental plants, high mast lights, pedestrian-friendly pathways would be developed,” he said.
