KOCHI: The street vendors at Fort Kochi are up in arms against the authorities, over their eviction. Following a court order, the 150-odd street vendors in the Heritage Zone of Fort Kochi were evicted last week. The vendors said that the Corporation failed to fulfil its promise of providing an alternate area to conduct their business and hence the eviction is illegal.“During the tenure of Collector K V Beena, detailed plans were made and areas were identified to provide an alternate shelter for the street vendors. The Corporation has been silent on this. The alternate shops that the Corporation has provided now are inadequate and nonviable. First of all, the people who have got the shops are based on political affiliations and biases. Some of the earliest vendors have not got any shops. Secondly, most of the buildings are nonviable since they are located in areas scarcely visited by tourists. Many of them have made loss to the tune of `5000 within a month’s time,” said Mohammad Abbas, president, Fort Kochi Cherukida Vyapari Vyavasayi Association.The vendors say in one voice that they are willing to shift their shops as long as it is at a reasonable distance from the tourists hub. “We are not here to block the view of the Chinese nets and the sea. We agree that those evictions which block the view have to be made. However, we should be given some alternative. The Kudumbasree has now provided a stall to sell its items. The rent is `100 per month and we are willing to pay `1000 if the government gives us a stall like that,” said Mohammad Khalid, who has been selling tender coconuts in Fort Kochi for 18 years now.The vendors said that in the absence of services provided by them, the tourism will only be affected. “If all of us are evicted, even drinking water will get unavailable here. As of now, the only stall that is available here apart from ours is that of the Kudumbasree’s. The shops provided by the Corporation are too far away from the beach to provide any service,” said K Y Naseeruddin, who has been selling fish in Fort Kochi for the last 35 years.The street vendors are all set hold a protest march on Monday. “This problem concerns a number of families. We will hold a meeting tomorrow to go forward with the issue,” said Antony Kureethara, Councilor, Fort Kochi. As part of the protest drive, many vendors have already started putting up their stalls in and around Fort Kochi. This is the third eviction drive in Fort Kochi.
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