Find permanent places for pavement hawkers - Metropolitan Police

The Sunday Observer last week interviewed several persons about pavement hawkers, their day-to-day business activities and the problems faced by them. Here are excerpts: Colombo Central, ASP Premalal Ranagala anticipates a tricky situation to throw out pavement hawkers without providing them permanent places to carry out with their business.

"We can chase them away overnight, but the following day they will launch protest campaigns in the city which will be another headache for us," he said.

He pointed out that some pavement hawkers also provide useful information to the police especially of pickpockets and drug traffickers.

OIC, Pettah Police G.M. Jayaratne was not totally against business activities on the pavements.

"But they must strictly obey the rules and regulations laid down by the Police to maintain law and order in the city," he said.

He said he has plans to provide maximum security to people who come into the city to buy goods during the New Year period.

An IP attached to the City Police said he had planned to make continuous loudspeaker announcements in the city during the New Year period to create a public awareness of their safety and also to beware of pickpockets.

Colombo Mayor Mohamad Imithiyaz is quite concerned with the livelihood of pavement hawkers and had instructed the Police not to demolish their structures right now but to wait for the Government to provide them with alternative places.

"True that we need a beautiful city, but we have to look beyond and see to their subsistence," he explained.

Police Constable Piyasiri said, "We are only bothered about the pavement hawkers, as we are against the erection of unlawful structures inside the Pettah Central Bus Station premises. We have decided to move in after April 2 to dismantle them in order to protect bus passengers from undesirable elements."

A pavement vendor in Borella, I.D. Sirisena said that there will be no other means to earn his living other than selling his wares on the pavement, and feels it is unfair if they were to be driven to any other places.

Thirty-year-old Lal Perera of Pettah is asking the Government to put up permanent boutiques closer to the city to enable them to carry on with their businesses. "Customers do not like to go to far away places but prefer the ones closer to main bus stands," he said.

He pleads to the Municipal authorities not to evict them from their original places. Another pavement hawker R.S. Selvakumar is suspicious of the Police who seem to be silent now on this issue, but certain to come down with the demolition squad after the New Year.

"Therefore I appeal to the President to use his good offices to solve this problem and it should be in our favour," he said.

Tuwan Hussain Deen points out that customers prefer their boutiques because the goods are 40 per cent cheaper in their places than in big shops.

A teacher, R.A. Jayasuriya feels sorry for the poor pavement hawkers and says that the Government's sole responsibility is to put up permanent boutiques for them.

"I request the Ministers concerned to take necessary action to construct permanent structures immediately, he said.

A shop owner, A. Somasiri said," I understand that a certain Minister wanted the city of Colombo be converted into a tourist paradise by demolishing all temporarily erected structures".

"I welcome your proposal Mr. Minister, but please look into our plight who have no fixed income".

A police Sub Inspector Nimal Seneviratne said that he was not against pavement hawkers doing their businesses in the city.

"What we are asking them is not to obstruct the pedestrians to move about freely and not hinder the business ventures of legally established shop owners", he said.

A medical student Neomi Ratnasekara welcomed the Government's decision to remove all unauthorised structures which are on either side of the roads in the city.

"But I would like to ask the authorities to provide them with alternative places before demolishing their structures," she said.

Asked as to why certain pavement hawkers are permitted and some are not, Police officer Ratnasekara said that those who do not comply with Police regulations are not allowed to conduct businesses as they wish.

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