Demanding stopping of all types of eviction drives undertaken by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and General Administration Department, the small traders of the Indradhanu Market in Nayapalli here staged a rally in front of the State Assembly on Wednesday.
The traders have been demanding finanlisation of beneficiary lists, immediate postponement of eviction drive and establishment of pindis and proper infrastructures.
"The Government should first rehabilitate the traders before undertaking an eviction drive. Adequate vending zones should come up for the poor vendors," said Indradhanu Market Khudra Byabasayee Sangh secretary Nilakantha Sahoo.
According to Sahoo, at least 811 small traders are doing their businesses in the Indradhanu Market area, but the administration regularly targets them instead of providing them any alternative.
"The civic bodies and police target us regularly because we are small vendors. There are hundreds of shops, hotels and other business establishments built illegally on Government lands. We hardly see any action against them,” alleged Sahoo.
The agitators too submitted a memorandum to the BDA Vice-Chairman to this effect seeking his immediate intervention for an early solution to their problems.