Police on Tuesday thrashed hundreds of street vendors who were protesting the government’s decision to evict them and its failure to designate proper vending zones as an alternative.
In a demonstration by hundreds of vendors at Ratnapark, some 57 of them were severely beaten up. Injured, they were taken to the nearby Bir Hospital.
According to Maya Gurung, secretary of Nepal Street Vendors’ Association, the police brutally intervened in their peaceful agitation. “Most of the injured are women. They were charged mercilessly,” said Gurung. “Some of them were hurt severely in the head and spine.”
Two weeks ago when the government designated 10 vending zones around Kathmandu , the vendors said the areas were not suitable for business.
According to the decision, the vendors could use the northern stretch of Narayanhiti Museum, Bagmati Corridor, Dhobi-khola Corridor, the Post Office-Nepal Telecom stretch at Sundhara, the Bir Hospital-Mahabouddha stretch and the southern stretch of Exhibition Road on assigned days and timings.
“These places are not feasible for our business. We need places with high footfalls, not a stinking riverbank where people are hardly seen,” said Gurung.
Gurung said the government did not consult with them before deciding the areas. “While there were representatives from the stakeholders, we were not involved in decision-making. We know our plight so our voices are important to solve the problem,” said Gurung.
When Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam in February ordered the eviction of street vendors, he assured that the government would provide alternative vending zones. However, no convincing proposal has been forwarded to the vendors.
Source
In a demonstration by hundreds of vendors at Ratnapark, some 57 of them were severely beaten up. Injured, they were taken to the nearby Bir Hospital.
According to Maya Gurung, secretary of Nepal Street Vendors’ Association, the police brutally intervened in their peaceful agitation. “Most of the injured are women. They were charged mercilessly,” said Gurung. “Some of them were hurt severely in the head and spine.”
Two weeks ago when the government designated 10 vending zones around Kathmandu , the vendors said the areas were not suitable for business.
According to the decision, the vendors could use the northern stretch of Narayanhiti Museum, Bagmati Corridor, Dhobi-khola Corridor, the Post Office-Nepal Telecom stretch at Sundhara, the Bir Hospital-Mahabouddha stretch and the southern stretch of Exhibition Road on assigned days and timings.
“These places are not feasible for our business. We need places with high footfalls, not a stinking riverbank where people are hardly seen,” said Gurung.
Gurung said the government did not consult with them before deciding the areas. “While there were representatives from the stakeholders, we were not involved in decision-making. We know our plight so our voices are important to solve the problem,” said Gurung.
When Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam in February ordered the eviction of street vendors, he assured that the government would provide alternative vending zones. However, no convincing proposal has been forwarded to the vendors.
Source
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