A delegation of the Delhi Congress on Friday met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and urged him to intervene in the matter of nearly 15,000 street vendors and hawkers who were evicted from 17 different areas of Delhi in June. They also submitted a memorandum on the issue to the LG.
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, along with the office-bearers of NASVI (National Association of Street Vendors of India) and street vendors associations, met Baijal and requested him to reinstate these vendors. They informed the LG about the "harassment" being perpetuated on street vendors and their alleged "illegal" eviction in violation of the Street Vendors Act 2014.
Maken said government agencies in Delhi were harassing the street vendors in the name of a Delhi High Court order.
"Five lakh street vendors are given licences in Delhi and Rs 1000 each is charged from them as licence fee. The government could earn Rs 600 crore in taxes annually and that money could be utilised for the development of Delhi by the Municipal Corporations," he said.
Maken said for some strange reason, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and the BJP-ruled MCDs are not giving the rights to street vendors enshrined in the Street Vendors’ Act.