Whenever it rains, income for them comes to a halt

Visakhapatnam: Following a heavy downpour for the past few days in Visakhapatnam, business came to a standstill for those who are dependent on the roadside and footpath for their daily sale.

The moment they try to commence their trade along the footpath, the vendors need to call it a day as in just a few minutes they need to pack up following rains. Such a situation continued for days on.

Even when respite came after a while, the roadside vendors could not do any business as they never knew when the rain would start again. With this, many stopped recommencing their business for almost four to five days.

Bhavani, a roadside vendor near Gajuwaka, says, "Our survival depends on our daily sales. But for the past five days, we could not make any money by selling daily supplies. We hope the weather will give us respite at least from now on."

Sharing her woes, another roadside vendor Lakshmi, who sells fruits at Bhaji junction, says, "The doors for our roadside shop have been closed for the past four days. There is no sale even if we keep it open for a few hours a day."

Even as some of the vendors tried to resume their business once the rain subsided, not many consumers came forward to buy from them as earlier.

Apart from business coming to a halt due to continuous rains, V Babu, a vegetable vendor, says that not many would prefer to shop during the season even if the rain stops after a while.

Some of the footpath sellers say that many of them mobilise loans to make do for their daily requirements. "We do seek financial assistance to make ends meet from financers. But we need to pay the loan to them on a daily basis. Since business has come to a halt for the past few days for us, we could not pay the financers," says Ramana, who operates a beverage stall.

As weather continues to remain unfavourable, anxiety grips footpath vendors in several parts of the city.