Bhubaneswar street vendors gherao BMC office protesting eviction orders

Hundreds of street vendors staged a demonstration and gheraoed the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) North Zone office protesting against the eviction policy enforced by BMC and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA).

According to sources, protestors hit the roads and staged a mass rally at NALCO Square while shouting slogans against the civic body. They also laid forward 10 demands including a complete halt of the anti-enroachment drive.

The agitators also refused to vacate their current spots demanding that the BMC establish a vending zone at the same location and allot them an 8-foot by 10-foot structure each.

“Street vendors were forced to vacate during the hockey tournament (2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup) and were unable to generate any sales causing immense distress. Two years later, the administration is again haphazardly forcing us to give up our livelihood,” claimed a protesting vendor.

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The agitators also declared plans to intensify their protests if the administration refused to accept their demands.

“This is simply a rehearsal. We will launch a much more intensified drive across all BMC and BDA offices with significantly more participants,” warned a vendor leading the gherao drive.

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Incidentally, on December 24, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das announced the BMC and BDA’s joint plans to make 55 roads of Bhubaneswar ‘encroachment-free’ ahead of the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan’ slated to kick off on 8th January.

It is pertinent to note that the Mayor had assured that after clearing the roadside vendors, designated permanent vending zones would be provided for them.