Street Vendors Protest Eviction Drive in Hiranagar, Seek Protection of Livelihood
Kathua, March 5, KNT: Street vendors in Hiranagar area of Kathua district staged a protest on Thursday against an eviction drive ordering them to vacate footpaths and roadside spots, saying the move threatens their only source of livelihood.
Dozens of vendors gathered in the market area and raised slogans, urging the administration to reconsider the decision and allow them to continue their small businesses.
The protest comes after authorities issued directions asking vendors to remove encroachments from footpaths and roadside areas across the district as part of an anti-encroachment campaign.
Vendors said the order would deprive them of their daily income and make it difficult for them to support their families.
“If we are not allowed to earn, our families will suffer. How will we pay school fees for our children or electricity bills?” one protesting vendor said.
Several protesters said they had been running small roadside stalls for years and that the businesses were their only means of sustenance.
“We request the administration to think about poor families like us. We only want the right to earn a living,” another vendor said.
The protesting vendors appealed to district authorities to provide alternative spaces or protection for their livelihoods instead of removing them from their existing vending spots. [KNT]
