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Community support is essential to preserve hawkers' rights
October 2001: Our holding this Lok Sunwayi in the air conditioned FICCI auditorium puzzled some of MANUSHI's friends, who felt that this was politically incorrect and bound to give the wrong impression to potential sympathisers. However, ours was a well thought out decision. The street vendors had been invited to share their dukh (grievances and grief) with us fellow citizens, who are better placed than them. It is our duty to share our sukh-aaram (comforts) with them. Why do we assume that clean and comfortable environments are meant only for the middle and upper classes? These vendors work under extremely harsh circumstances, braving the hot sun in summer, icy winds in winter and watery deluge in the monsoon every day of their lives. The least we could do was to provide them cool comfort for one day when they came to pour out their grievances before us. They are rarely treated as fellow citizens by middle and upper class people, leave alone the babus and netas before whom they have to constantly kowtow and grovel. Ours was a small gesture to communicate the message that we consider them fellow citizens. We are not condescending to "help them" but wish to make common cause with them. Through this Lok Sunwayi MANUSHI appealed to the citizens of Delhi, especially those who carry influence with policy-makers and administrators, to help make Delhi a bribe-free, terror-free city. It is in the interests of all to make common cause in removing corruption and the inevitable violence and crime that accompanies it. The following demands were made on behalf of vendors:
- At a time when big industries are being de-licensed, and factories worth crores can be set up without complex licensing requirements, street vending should also be delicensed.
- Instead of treating them as a "public nuisance", services of vendors should be given due recognition. The Supreme Court order requiring every city to clearly demarcate Hawking and No-Hawking zones should be expeditiously implemented, taking the actual requirements of every city's population into account , rather than based on arbitrary, bureaucratic whims. A Pay and Hawk scheme would also increase the revenue collected by municipalities, provided that payments are allowed to reach government treasuries.
- As long as the Delhi government fails to evolve and implement a viable policy for street vendors by allocating proper Hawking Zones, raids by the municipality and clearance operations should be altogether suspended.
- Keeping in view the importance of the 'natural markets' developed by street vendors, the city administration should be pressured to provide them water and sanitation facilities so that they can maintain cleanliness and hygiene in their markets.
- Since the police danda is used mostly on honest citizens while the anti-social elements actually get protection from the police, the policemen should be disarmed of their dandas. In no functioning democracy is the police allowed to wield lathis (batons) on innocent citizens, the way it is in India. Today citizens of India, especially the poor, need to be protected from the police. One small step in that direction would be danda-free policing.
- In addition, the police should be given better training and better pay packets, along with establishing effective accountability in their functioning, if they are to act as an instrument of law and order, rather than promote crime. They, too, need help in restoring their self respect, so that they do not behave like thugs and looters. We urge residents' associations to join the vendors to form Nagrik Sahyog Samitis to curb the abuse of power by police and bring municipal officials to account. MANUSHI will attempt to facilitate residents and vendors working together to ensure cleaner and orderly markets.
October 2001