Clock Tower protests: Vendors lock horns with zila parishad officials again in Ludhiana

The street vendors had earlier in the day raised strong objections to the zila parishad’s move to remove them from the site, where they claimed to have been setting up their stalls for over two decades, before getting into heated arguments with the officials.

High drama unfolded near the Clock Tower on Friday evening as a zila parishad team made a second attempt to remove street vendors from a piece of government land in the presence of police force.

The protesting vendors stated that they have, for long, been submitting monthly fees to the Municipal Corporation (MC) to set up their stalls on the site (Representative Image/HT File)

The street vendors had earlier in the day raised strong objections to the zila parishad’s move to remove them from the site, where they claimed to have been setting up their stalls for over two decades, before getting into heated arguments with the officials.

The officials later submitted a complaint with the police.

The protesting vendors stated that they have, for long, been submitting monthly fees to the Municipal Corporation (MC) to set up their stalls on the site. Their protest took the shape of a full-fledged movement earlier this week as they came together to voice their displeasure at the zila parishad decision to build a boundary wall to keep them out of the said site.

The vendors have demanded that the authorities declare the site as a vending zone. President of the Rehri Fadi Union, Bal Krishan Pappi, said, “The vendors have also been paying a monthly fee to MC to install the vends in the past. If the authorities have to lease out the land, it should be given to the vendors and they will pay the rent to the authorities.”

“The vendors have no other place to install vends in that area as they have been working at the site for over two decades now,” he added.

When contacted, the superintendent of the zila parishad, Sikander Singh, refused to comment on the issue.

Satnam Singh, assistant police sub inspector from Division number 1 station, said that a complaint has been received regarding encroachments by the zila parishad, but no FIR has yet been registered in the case.