Jeevika: Law, Liberty & Livelihood campaign facilitated a mass demonstration along with Heritage City Thadi-Thela Union in Jaipur on December 22, 2010. Hundreds of street vendors mainly from Sodala, Collectorate Circle and Viashali Nagar area of Jaipur gathered at the Jaipur Municipal Corporation headquarter and sat down on Dharna under the leadership of Udai Singh Rathore (former MLA-Jaipur), Nathu Singh Rathore (President, Street Vendors Joint Front), Banwari Lal Sharma (Heritage City Thadi- Thela Union) demanding early implementation of street vendors policy in the city.

Addressing the street vendors Mr. Amit Chandra said, “The Government of India drafted a policy for street vendors in 2004 and sent to the Rajasthan government for implementation in the state. The Rajasthan Government also drafted a policy named ‘Pheriwalo Ka Sansar’ in 2007 which is implemented in the state till date. It has been three years but the Jaipur Municipal Corporation has not implemented the policy as yet. We need to put pressure on the Jaipur Municipal Corporation with constant such mass demonstrations to bring the Corporation in the functioning mode.”

Mr. Uday Singh Rathore said, “The municipal officers have vested interest in not implementing the provisions of the policy in Jaipur. Lack of legal recognition of the street vendors makes them vulnerable to the development authorities which consequences into the huge extortion by the authorities from the poor”

Mr Nathu Singh Rathore said, “Street vendors are open for all sorts of harassment from authorities. They are being evicted everyday by the authorities for no reason and the poor vendors who were making their livelihood on the street and taking care of their family are on the verge of starvation.”

Mr. Banwari Lal Sharma said, “The officers of Municipal Corporation have never been sensitive towards the issue of street vendors. They are never seen as service providers and constantly harassed. The Jaipur Development Authority built kiosks which were allotted to the people with political and bureaucratic connections and not to the genuine street vendors. The municipal corporation had started survey of the street vendors and that too was stopped in the initial phase itself”

Vidyadhar Bhimsaraiya, Basant Haryana and many other representatives of several other street vendors union also participated in the mass demonstrated. At the end of the demonstration a group of representatives met the Chief Executive Officer and the Additional Commissioner (Head Quarter) to discuss the issues of street vendors and handed over a memorandum.

Here are some pictures of the demonstration: