Vendors protest near Assembly. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 12: Small traders of Indradhanu Market today held a demonstration in front of the Assembly demanding kiosks from the local urban development authority and the general administration department.

Around 100 protesters, under the aegis of Indradhanu Market Khudra Byabasai Sangha, held a rally from Ram Mandir to Lower PMG and staged a demonstration on Mahatma Gandhi Marg shouting slogans against the Bhubaneswar Development Authority and the general administration department.

The traders said that though the Bhubaneswar Development Authority had constructed a market complex and provided kiosks to a few vendors about 14 years ago, it did not take any step later on to provide kiosks to more vendors.

Nilakantha Sahoo, secretary of the sangha, said that many vendors, who were not provided with such kiosks, set up their establishments here and there.

“Despite our demands for several years to provide us with kiosks, the authorities did not lend us an ear. In the last few years, they have been trying to evict us from the market without thinking about our livelihoods,” said Sahoo. The vendors said that though the government authorities were coming every now and then to evict them, they had to move back following objections by the former.

These vendors had also conducted several rallies and tried to find out solution by meeting the authorities, but to no avail.

The vendors’ association secretary said that there were two plots in the market — one belonging to the development authority and another belonging to the general administration department.

While the BDA had plans to develop a market complex on its land, it did not take any steps till date.

“Besides, the authorities should make arrangements for us and finalise the list of beneficiaries by holding discussion. We are ready to pay for the kiosks following the market rate. We also appeal the authorities not to harass us till any action is taken on our demands,” said the association secretary.

In the afternoon, a team of the protesters gave their memorandum to the chief minister through the additional chief secretary.

“The additional chief secretary told us that he would instruct the Bhubaneswar Development Authority’s vice-chairman to decide on this matter. We are hopeful of a solution this time. Else, we will hold hunger strike,” said a protesting vendor.