The trademark loud voices of street vendors heard along the Mahatma Gandhi Marg, marketing merchandise varying from textiles to kitchenware, are heard no more. After they were removed a week ago from the street on orders from Jharkhand High Court, some of the vendors decided to stay home, meanwhile the rest have taken their shops to adjoining by-lanes and alleys.
Although the move has alleviated a great deal of burden from MG Marg, it is bearing hard on the vendors’ pockets in more ways than one. They have to put up with hostilities without the safety in numbers they enjoyed in their previous spots, along with drop in business, told some of the vendors.
Shrawan Prasad, who relocated to the front of a temple on Purulia Raod from MG Marg with his lemonade handcart, stated, “There are many parties here who demand money in exchange of permission for doing business, and even paying them is no assurance. This was not the case when I was doing business in Main Road as there were many to raise their voice against such demands.”
“Business is not what it used to be. Customers have somewhat decreased after Main Road was declared no-vending zone. Many vendors have either closed shop or have shifted to spots less-favourable for business,” added Prasad.
Not only street-side peddlers but established shops also claim a decline in sales since the eviction. “Footpath shops used to draw out customers who then came to our shops too.
But since the administration’s action, Main Road has lost its appeal to buyers. It might have helped traffic flow but has proved to be bad for business,” stated Anand Singh, a garment shop owner near Sarjana Chowk.
Meanwhile, there is no immediate respite in sight for the vendors, with their survey only halfway done and organisations representing them awaiting Supreme Court’s decision on their petition to stay Jharkhand High Court’s eviction order.
“Supreme Court will hear the Special leave Petition on Tuesday and our strategies will be formed based on the court’s decision. We will begin protests after the hearing two days from now,” stated Deepak Singh, vice president, National Hawkers’ Federation.
The survey for identifying vendors in Ranchi for rehabilitation has also slowed down, with climate quoted as the reason. “Survey has slowed down due to the extremely hot weather, our surveyors are finding it hard to go in the field and vendors are also moved away from MG Marg,” stated Abid Ashraf Khan, Programme Manager, Sammaan Foundation, the agency surveying vendors on behalf of Ranchi Municipal Corporation.
“As of now, more than 5600 vendors have been enlisted and the rest will be covered soon. We expect to complete the survey by May 10. Those who have not been surveyed yet will definitely be covered as we come to know of them. We are coordinating with street vendor bodies for this,” he added.