Hawkers demand permission along Srivari Mettu route

Tirupati: The protest by small-scale vendors and hawkers on Srivari Mettu footpath entered second day on Thursday, with protesters and their families continuing their sit-in outside the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administrative building in Tirupati. The agitators are demanding permission to conduct business along the Srivari Mettu route and calling for legal protection against raids.

Mulam Ramesh, a member of the CPM state secretary panel, extended his support to the protesting vendors on Thursday. Addressing the gathering, Ramesh urged the TTD management to immediately resolve the issues faced by the Srivari Mettu hawkers and vendors. He promised to take the matter to the attention of the state government for resolution.

Criticising the TTD management for obstructing businesses citing technical reasons, Ramesh reminded them of the cooperation extended by the vendors to the authorities during past crises and closing down their businesses due to the leopard menace on the Alipiri footpath.

He pointed out that while the authorities gave permission to vendors to open their shops after the leopard episode and even allocated new shops along the Alipiri route, the Srivari Mettu path vendors were being unfairly targeted despite no wildlife encounters in their area.

The protesters highlighted their role in assisting pilgrims, providing food and medical aid and even helping to extinguish forest fires. They also emphasised their efforts in reporting red sanders smugglers to the authorities.

The vendors expressed frustration over the delay in issuing hawker licenses, despite being identified as eligible beneficiaries by the Vigilance department. They questioned the fairness in preventing them from conducting business and appealed to the TTD EO to take immediate action to resolve their issues. They will continue their agitation Friday as well during which they planned to stage a protest by standing with a single leg.