The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) began a drive against illegal roadside vendors on Tuesday. The drive was started in the presence of mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ and municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey along with other officials. About 25 policemen were also present in the drive which also saw collection of about Rs 12,000 in penalties from the vendors on its first day.
According to officials, about 2,000 vendors are licensed by the MCD but the total number of vendors plying their trade in the city is about 5,000. The drive is aimed at removing such unlicensed vendors from the public places in the city so that the various problem caused by them can be minimised.
However, the vendors affected by the drive have their own issues. A roadside vendor, Mehendi Hasan said, “We are getting forcefully removed from the roadside but nothing has been done for us. We are poor and this is the only source of our income. We have requested the officials many times but nothing has been done for us so far.”
Another roadside vendor Chand Lal said, “The police officers came and took our vegetable boxes and other goods. They didn’t even hear our plea, which is very wrong. The senior officers should at least help us or provide us with some solution so that we can shift to some other place.”
Meanwhile, municipal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said, “Only licensed vendors will be allowed to ply their trades, the others will be evicted from the places they occupy.”