Tripunithura municipality acts on illegal street vendors

Kochi: An eviction drive led by Tripunithura municipality on Tuesday targeted illegal encroachments and roadside shops along Mini Bypass connecting Tripunithura and Maradu. However, when officials began removing structures, some traders claimed that they possessed licences issued by municipality for running their establishments, prompting authorities to temporarily halt the process.

By the time officials reached the spot on Tuesday, many vendors operating temporary stalls had vacated the area with their goods. Following suggestions that shops belonging to traders who had applied for licences should be identified before demolition, authorities decided to convene a meeting on Thursday and take further action thereafter.

Municipality chairperson P L Babu said the eviction drive is being conducted by municipality in collaboration with public works department (PWD), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and police. He added that number of street vendors was several times higher than number of licences issued by municipality.

“In Tripunithura, 89 individuals have applied for vending licences, around 100 licence applications are pending with us, but there are over thousands of street vendors operating here,” he said.

Municipality officials said roads in the area are narrow and that encroachments by street vendors have contributed to traffic congestion and accidents. They added that eviction drive was initiated following an examination of traffic police reports highlighting frequent accidents along Mini Bypass.

“As per reports, five people die in road accidents a month and more than 100 accidents occur per month. A councillor of the municipality is currently hospitalised following a road accident,” a municipality official said.

According to Babu, similar action will be extended to other congested stretches in the town, including Statue Junction and adjoining areas, in the coming days.