Vegetable vendors protest, demand release of seized carts

Indore: Vegetable vendors under the banner of Sanvid Nagar Sangharsh Samiti staged a sit-in against Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) on Monday. They were demanding release of their seized carts by the civic body.The protest follows an IMC removal drive triggered by residents' complaints regarding traffic congestion, public drinking and alleged misbehavior by vendors in the narrow lanes of Sanvid Nagar."We have been operating here for 50 years. Suddenly, the IMC seized our carts and destroyed our livelihood," said a vendor Neelam Khare. The protesters were demanding a designated space at Tilak Nagar Khadan instead of the allocated hawker zone under the Bengali Bridge.MIC member Rajesh Udavat clarified that the vendors were given space under the Bengali Bridge a year ago. "We have been making announcements for four months. Residents provided footage of hooliganism and harassment, making the relocation necessary for public safety," Udavat said.The corporation official Ankesh Birthariya added that the seized carts would be released according to legal norms.