New shopping complex at Bodhiraja Mawatha:

Govt assistance for pavement hawkers

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

It came like a thunder bolt; the operation launched by the police at the end of April to rid the city of unauthorised pavement vendors who had occupied space near the thoroughfares in the Colombo city! Tension boiled over when scores of policemen swooped down on the pavement vendors and removed their merchandise. It was a swift operation that began in Pettah and spread to other parts of the city.

Police said unauthorised structures have been removed in accordance with sections of the Police Ordinance to prevent inconveniences to the public. Unauthorised structures erected between Malwatta Junction and the Olcott Mawatha in Pettah near the Bo-Tree Junction were removed forthwith. The traders had been given prior notice on several occasions to vacate these pavements, police said.

Although many such operations had been carried out in the past it had been a futile exercise. Street vendors bounced back, and continued to occupy the pavements, defying the police. After all, they had withstood the test of time and it wasn't an easy task to oust them altogether.

Their livelihood depended on what they sell everyday. Of course it became a serious problem for the police, the local bodies and for pedestrians who were very much inconvenienced. The movement of people was severely restricted due to the congestion on pavements.

Chairman, Federation of Self-Employees Association Mahinda Kahadagama

Sithy Visaya

There were unauthorised structures being put on pavements by vendors. Police said that many pedestrians had died in road accidents as a result of being forced to walk on the highway due to congestion on pavements. Last year ten persons had died in such accidents. The unauthorised structures were also a hindrance to arresting various miscreants engaged in illegal activities under the cover of trading on the pavement, police said.

A fortnight ago, pavement hawkers protested against the police action which saw them evicted forcibly. They denounced the police action by displaying placards and posters at rallies held in various places in the city and elsewhere. These hawkers, after all, lived a hand-to-mouth existence, eking out a pittance on a daily basis. Their main grouse was that they had been deprived of a livelihood without which they cannot feed their families.

However, the plight of pavement hawkers drew the attention of the Government and President Mahinda Rajapaksa on his return from abroad recently. He summoned members of the Federation of Self-Employees for a discussion to find a solution for this humanitarian problem.

The Chairman of the Federation of Self-Employees Association Mahinda Kahadagama told the Sunday Observer that after the discussion they had with President Rajapaksa, a fortnight ago a location was found at the Bodhiraja Mawatha,Pettah to accommodate these displaced pavement hawkers. "We came to know that around 250-260 trade stalls are being built initially to accommodate hawkers from Pettah and the Fort area. We understand the number of stalls will be further increased to around 450-500. President Rajapaksa assured us that locations will be provided and requested our co-operation. As self-employees, we too admitted our mistake - selling goods on thoroughfares," he said.

Giant building

The Sunday Observer visited the Bodhiraja Mawatha in Pettah where a giant building is being put up to accommodate street vendors. Work is in progress and is expected to be completed soon. Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa too had visited the site on an earlier occasion and had instructed officials to expedite the construction work. Kahadagama said the trade stalls will be allocated to vendors affiliated to the Federation of Self-Employees. However, more trade stalls will be required to accommodate other street vendors in the city.

He said in Pettah alone there are 1,400 pavement hawkers while another 800 operated in the Fort area. Of the 1,400 vendors, around 700 will be allocated stalls in this facility while the others have to be accommodated elsewhere. "What about the street vendors from areas such as Wellawatte and Borella?" he queried. "It will take another month or two to find accommodation for these people."

He said President Rajapaksa had instructed officials to pay a stipend of Rs. 2,000 a month to displaced street vendors until a solution was found. "We also brought to the notice of the President the fact that some unauthorised boutiques in the Pettah area were being operated by underworld 'Mafia' gangs but that nothing had been done to demolish them. There are also boutiques on Second Cross Street, First Cross Street and Main Street that have encroached on to the pavement," he said.

The Governor of the Western Province Alavi Moulana, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage Dinesh Gunawardena and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga participated in the discussions with the President, he said.

However, Kahadagama voiced his strong opinion and lamented the action taken by the police when arresting pavement hawkers. "Policemen arrest our members and release them at midnight. Imagine the plight of women who are released at midnight. We tell our members not to sell anything on pavements or on the side of the roads, but they don't listen to us and end up at police stations.”

He said some policemen had even sprayed insecticides on vegetables and fruits sold by street vendors in Kandy. "Never mind confiscating the vegetables and fruits and sending them over to the zoo. But to spray insecticide on them is a crime!" he said.

Alternative locations

He said there are thousands of street vendors in Kandy who do not send their children to school as they cannot afford it. He urged the Government to provide stalls to vendors in outstation areas as well and called upon the authorities to allow them to continue with their trade until alternative locations were found. "It is the street vendors who are responsible for selling locally manufactured produce. Around 95 percent of the population patronise street vendors.

“They buy what we sell. Even blue collar workers patronise us. What will happen to these customers?", he queried. Kahadagama claims that their Association supported the Government in safeguarding the Colombo city from terrorist attacks during the height of the North and East conflict.

The Federation of Self-Employees, formed seven years ago, consists of around 8,000 members from all parts of the country. "We hope to enlist more street vendors.

“There are around 4,000 members in the Colombo district alone. We want to summon the executive committee of the Federation of Self Employees shortly. Members from 84 branches from different parts of the country are expected to participate in this meeting. Several important matters pertaining to the Association will be discussed at this event", he said.

Sithy Visaya, a member of the Federation at Borella said her vocation was making shoes.

There are around 188 registered vendors at the World Market in Colombo and 48 unregistered vendors. All these vendors have one idea in common - to give their children a sound education.

"None of us has saved money in banks. All we could manage was to give our children nourishing food and educate them. But today street vendors are in a quandary, unable to eke out a living. They cannot pay for even the basic requirements of their children. We, therefore, urge the Government to provide some type of temporary relief until a solution is found to this problem", she said.

Many street vendors in Pettah have claimed that they have been engaged in trading on the pavement for the past 25 years and that their families depend on their livelihood.