Case of street vendors AITUC seeks Governor's intervention

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 21 : The All India Trade Union Congress, Manipur State Committee ( (AITUC-MSC) has sought prompt intervention of Governor La Ganesan to address the grievances of street vendors in Manipur.
In a memorandum submitted  to the Governor, the AITUC-MSC said that lack of gainful, better paid, secured employment in the formal sector; lack of good market system in hill districts and rural areas; low economic condition of the people are some of the main causes for the growth of street vending in Manipur.
The memorandum urged the Governor to constitute a town vending committee; formulate a scheme under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014; identify the street vendors and  issue a licence/identity card and identify vending and non vending areas.
The trade union stated that street vendors operating in and around Imphal areas belong to the poorest and downtrodden section of the society and they hardly have any external support in running their families.
Saying that street vending, over the years, has also been an important source of employment for a large number of urban poor as it requires low skill and small financial capital, the AITUC-MSC claimed that the State police and Imphal Municipal Corporation, however, have been acting in a most inhumane manner against the street vendors, who mostly are women.
The memorandum also alleged that law enforcing agencies collect illegal taxes from the street vendors.
Apart from collecting illegal taxes, the police personnel  habitually kick and discard  the goods of street vendors, which  amount to torture and harassment, it further claimed.
Stating that State Government  is supposed to constitute Town Vending Committee in accordance with the provision enshrined in the Manipur Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rule 2016, the AITUC-MSC claimed that no Town Vending Committee, has been constituted so far in the State. The memorandum also claimed that the State Government must frame a scheme under Section 38 of the Street  Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 within six months from the date of commencement of the Act after due consultation with the local  authority and Town Vending Committee, but no such scheme has so far been framed in clear violation of the Act. Lastly, the trade union stated that a big space which is available on the 1st floor of Ima Market, Khwairamband Bazar can accommodate a major chunk of the street vendors. The AITUC-MSC also urged the Governor to intervene and stop the eviction of street vendors by the State Government.