Congress leaders back street vendors in Karnal

Congress leaders and workers along with representatives of various social organisations came out in support of street vendors whose stalls were removed by the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) on second consecutive Sunday as part of its ongoing anti-encroachment drive. The removal of these vendors from Karna Gate market, particularly those who set up stalls for the weekly Sunday market, sparked widespread anger among the local community.

In a show of solidarity, the Congress leaders visited various areas of the market and met the vendors, assuring them that they would raise the issue with the MC and district authorities. They interacted with small vendors whose livelihoods had been severely impacted. The vendors expressed frustration over their goods being seized and their stalls being removed, saying that they relied on their small business for survival.

Congress leader Manoj Wadhwa, along with others, criticised the selective action of the MC, alleging that while the poor vendors were targeted while no action was taken against the shopkeepers, who were also guilty of encroachment and had flouted norms but no action was taken against them.

At one point, the protesters reached outside a prominent jewellery showroom, where they questioned why a large signboard violating norms was still intact. The issue escalated until the shop owner arrived and agreed to remove the board, calming the protesters.

Congress leader Parag Gaba demanded that the administration should either stop removing these vendors or, if necessary, provide them with a designated and fair space to continue the Sunday market, possibly behind the yellow lines marked on the streets.

“Action should be equal for all,” said Gurvinder Kaur, another Congress leader, emphasising the need for justice and fair opportunity for the underprivileged.

Traders call for removal <

of encroachment

Meanwhile, several trader unions from the Karna Gate market and Sarafa Bazar held a meeting to voice their stance on the issue. In a joint press conference, the traders clarified that the recent action taken by the authorities was initiated on their complaint, but emphasised that their intention was not to snatch away the livelihood of street vendors.

Speaking to the media, trader Vineet Khera said, “We are not against street vendors. We are against encroachment. It is unfortunate that some shopkeepers themselves allowed the vendors to set up stalls in front of their shops on rent, leading to congestion. The traders must restrict their setups within the yellow lines marked outside their shops.”

Other market traders, including Manmeet Bawa and Sankalp Bhandari, said, “Encroachment has severely narrowed the roads. Even emergency vehicles cannot pass through the market easily. Our demand to the administration was — clear the roads of illegal encroachment for better movement— not to target the poor,” they said. They stressed that the issue should not be politicised. They pointed out that the governments earlier, drew a yellow demarcation line outside shops to allow space for parking or temporary setups, but many had now crossed these limits, causing chaos in the market.

All unions from the Karna Gate market jointly appealed to the MLA Jagmohan Anand, Mayor Renu Bala Gupta, MC Commissioner Dr Vaishali Sharma and other authorities to address their concerns.

The traders also expressed concern over the Sunday Market being held in the already congested area. “The Sunday Market should be relocated to its original designated spot. Holding it here causes traffic jams and inconvenience to the general public,” they said.

Haryana Tribune