The weekly Sunday market vendors submitted a memorandum to the Dehradun District Magistrate S A Murugeshan during the Public Hearing held on Monday. They demanded allotment of an alternative site to hold the market which is not being held for the past four Sundays following the launch of the anti-encroachment drive.

The DM said that all the necessary steps would be taken to solve the logjam. It is learnt that vendors had come up with the matter to speak out at the DM’s Public Hearing as directed by the former Congress MlA Rajkumar.  The agitated vendors also staged a demonstration, demanding prompt resumption of the Sunday market.

The vendors demanded they be provided with an alternative place so that the market resumes from next Sunday. They said they are incurring huge loss as the market is their only means of livelihood. “We are on the verge of starvation as the weekly market is not being allowed to be held for the past four Sundays,” said one of them.

The former Congress MlA Rajkumar said while talking to the media persons that the Sunday market is conducted once a week. “It has nothing to do with encroachment.

All the vendors should be given a place to hold the market. They cannot be allowed to starve along with their families,” he said. 

The Congress leader, further, said that while the Government talks a lot about employment it is taking away the only means of livelihood from so many people.

“There are others too who are facing the same bleak scenario on the front of livelihood. The officers involved in the anti-encroachment drive should know that the State High Court has given no order to remove the weekly Sunday market.  It is a fact that the Municipal Corporation is taking Rs 300 from  the vendors even now despite the fact that they are not being allowed to hold shops for four consecutive Sundays,” he said.

He warned the district administration of a full-blown movement in the coming days if district magistrate does not do something immediately to provide an alternative site to the vendors to hold the weekly market from.                                 

The DM heard out the concerns of the agitated vendors during the Public Hearing and asked the officers concerned of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation to seriously look into the matter. “We are taking all the necessary steps to solve the logjam,” he added .