Encroachments cleared in pilgrim city

Tirupati: Crammed busy areas in the pilgrim city got a new look with the removal of encroachments despite stiff resistance from political parties and hawkers’ associations.

The drive against the encroachment of public places including platforms, road margins and even the roads in the busy areas including railway station, Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, RTC bus stand, SVIMS and SVRR Hospital here started two weeks after new Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) Commissioner V Vijaya Rama Raju took charge.

A couple of weeks back busy areas including railway station road and Vishnu Nivasam, the massive TTD pilgrim amenities complex jammed with pushcart vendors and hawkers making the public movement difficult more so the pilgrims. Now, the same areas look spacious after clearing encroachments.

In the Campus school area, the entire pavement starting to end which was occupied by rows of hawkers now remained clean while the SVIMS Hospital entrance and SVRR Hospital main gate area where even the bus shelters were occupied by vendors now unbelievably looks open much to the relief of public, who were hitherto forced to stand on the road for bus or auto.

The removal of the encroachment not went on smoothly but met with stiff resistance from the hawkers but the municipal engineering, town planning and health department personnel saw the vendors vacated the public places on the busy main roads. However, they were allowed to continue their business somewhere in the streets nearby without hindering public movement.

The hawkers staged a protest for few days after which Vijaya Rama Raju made it clear to the delegation of hawkers, who met him that no pushcart vendors would be allowed in the six places where public movement is heavy and in some select places in the city.

A pilgrim Murugan from Vellore, who frequently visit Tirumala for darshan, said he was unable to believe the railway station and Vishnu Nivasam area free of encroachments and lauded the civic authorities. Locals like Prasad, a private employee, also appreciated the corporation of reigning on the vendors, who they said became a menace in crowded area.

However, many faulted the corporation for the removal of vendors without making alternate arrangements for them. The corporation has not set up the city vending committee to decide on the hawkers’ zone in the city allowing the vendors to carry on their livelihood options. Due to severe drought and no livelihood sources in the rural areas, people from the affected marginalised sections forced to come to the pilgrim city for living as vendors as a last resort.

It is the only city in Rayalaseema region booming with pilgrim economy, they stated. But, the corporation failed to take their miserable conditions into account before clearing them, said Subramanyam, CPM city secretary, who is leading a campaign for allowing the hawkers from the areas from where they were removed.

He and CPI leader C Penchalaiah demanded to set up city vending committee as per the Supreme Court guidelines and adopt a transparent approach for the rehabilitation of 500 displaced vendors and also allow the about 2,500 vendors in various places in the city to continue their businesses like eateries, sale of fruits and other commodities.