Himachal: Street vendors protest in Shimla against municipal corporation's eviction drive

Shimla, Sep 30 (PTI) Hundreds of street vendors affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions staged a protest at the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Tuesday against the Shimla Municipal Corporation's (SMC) directive to submit multiple documents and affidavits for verification and registration.

The protesters demanded immediate withdrawal of the directive, a halt to the eviction drive, strict implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, and issuance of certificates to both registered and unregistered vendors.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions state president Vijender Mehra alleged that demanding extra documents amounted to harassment and violated both the 2014 Act and Supreme Court directions. "According to the Act, street vendors cannot be evicted arbitrarily," he said.

He claimed that vendors were being removed from different areas of Shimla for the past six months without being allotted alternative sites, in violation of the law.

Mehra warned that the protest would be intensified if the civic body did not concede to their demands. PTI COR OZ OZ