Agartala: The former Assam chief minister and the leader of opposition CPIM Manik Sarkar on Saturday wrote a letter to the incumbent Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb urging him that the interests of the hawkers and the small traders should be addressed from a humanitarian point of view and take required measures to aid them and not force shut their livelihood.
The letter of Sarkar came to the fore after the newly elected body of Agartala Municipal Corporation has started an encroachment eviction drive across the Agartala city against the shop keepers and hawkers who has opened their shops illegally.
“Hawker eviction is going on in Agartala. There is no objection to freeing the sidewalk for normal movement and keeping the pavement open for all to walk on. Many have resorted to this temporary small business as they are forced to live without an alternative. Also, the opportunity to earn a living without seeking the government's validation. But there is no justification for vandalising shops and making their families stand on the streets without taking precautionary measures”, he said.
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He also informed Chief Minister Deb that long before the Supreme Court has ruled that the problem of hawkers should be addressed and relocated. “We hope that the interests of the hawkers and the small traders will be addressed from a humanitarian point of view and from a legal point of view”, Sarkar added and hoped that the Chief Minister will take effective steps to address the rising issue of hawkers.
