Mangalore: As already reported on Friday, over 100 footpath (or road side) vendors upon arms against them, launched an indefinite “dharna Satyagraha” (fasting) in front of Mangalore City Corporation on Saturday demonstration against their eviction and seizure of sale materials from them, under the guidance of CITU and Mangalore Footpath Vendors  Association. The demonstrators wanted the implementation of a National Policy of 2009 for Urban Street Vendors. Activist Sunil Kumar Bajal (CITU) and Muneer Katipalla (DYFI local chief) addressed the gathering. Repeated appeals to MCC fell on deaf ears. Leading to eviction of vendors with materials from city’s main thorough fares and market places, even though several parts of the city had space to do business, Muneer pointed out.
Bajal stated that they had no other means of livelihood. The vendors formed an indivisible section of city market life, providing essential articles and materials to the general public at reasonable rates. He demanded immediate cessation of the alternate arrangements for the vendors to ply their harmless trades in a small unorganized way.
The MCC is yet to react to the vendors’ plight, as the day wore on.