Civic body forces eviction of homeless petty vendors in Vijayawada

The families living in ad hoc shelters on the ground adjacent to the Vijayawada Bypass Road near Sitara Centre in Vijayawada.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

A few petty vendors and three families living on the ground next to the Vijayawada Bypass Road near the Sitara Centre in Vijayawada have expressed their angst after they were asked to vacate the government-owned premises.

The three families, hailing from Rajasthan, have been living and selling idols at the place for the past 15 years, and before that, they lived on the other side of the bypass road for 10 years, they said.

“Back then, there used to be a water body here. I, along with three others, spent around ₹5 lakh to make this place habitable, and now, when it is clean, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) wants the land back,” says Baburam Solanki, an idol-maker.

Solanki, who lost ₹6 lakh when the 40 Ganesh idols he made were damaged in the recent Budameru floods, says that the eviction orders from the VMC were like a body blow. His family of eight included four children, aged between 6 and 14, who do not attend school and help their parents in the idol business.

The family also says they have not received compensation for the loss suffered during the floods because they do not have a house number.

Meena, an artisan from another family who lives here, says, “We were asked to remove the tent and our belongings from the premises on November 27. After the officials left, we shifted to a corner and set up a smaller ad hoc tent, too small for my family of nine. “ She adds that they cannot afford a rented house. On most days, they do not get more than ₹500 per day.

They said that during the recent rain in the city triggered by Cyclone Fengal, only the elderly, women, and children slept inside the shelter while the men stayed outside.

Meanwhile, VMC officials said they were considering setting up an eat street at the location. They, however, refused to divulge more details about the facility since the project was still in the initial stages. They also said the idol-makers’ families have been asked to vacate the premises but have not yet been provided with alternative accommodation.

A woman selling clay pots at the same site said they were willing to vacate the place if the corporation allowed them to continue their business at a different location in the same area. “We will lose our customers if we move too far from here. We know this is government land, and we only want to say that small vendors, too, must be given permission to sell their wares,” the woman said.

Pointing out that the Right to Shelter is a fundamental right, G. Rohith of the Human Rights Forum said, “It is absolutely unjust that these people who have made this otherwise uninhabitable land habitable two decades ago with their money are now being asked to vacate,” he said.