Shillong, June 7: Numerous hawkers and street vendors under the umbrella of Street Vendors and Hawkers Union (SVHU) on Monday afternoon gathered at Khyndailad area in order to seek answers and solutions to their despair and difficulties in times of the COVID pandemic where they have not been allowed to setup shops to run their livelihood once again. It’s been one and half month of lockdown in the East Khasi Hills, which has severely affected their livelihood and their lives. To make matters worse, they have not been given any kind of support from the government.
Social activist and leader of Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR), Angela Rangad said today’s (Monday) action is a result of extreme distress and frustration among the hawkers and street vendors.
“One and a half month of lockdown and one and a half month of inability to have a livelihood and to earn, and on top of that the government has not announced or given any income support. The income support that was announced last year also never reached. Rs 2100 is nothing, but in times of crisis it helps. Yet, that much also never reached the real people who should have gotten it. The same is with the construction labourers, Rs. 5000 never reached them,” she told reporters.
She slammed the government for its inability to look out for the marginalized section as the government has not proposed any plan to ease the woes of the most marginalized.
“There have been no announcement of an income support even though the people have given suggestions, there is no announcement of ensuring food grains, and by food grains I don’t mean just rice but they have to be given proteins, lentils and oil,” she said adding that there is also no attempt for home delivery of these when there is home delivery of everything else.
Even for the COVID treatment, she said the most marginalized do not have health coverage in the MHIS and “the government has not even said that if you get sick with COVID, the government will take care of you.”
“So, all of these things make it so difficult for those on the margins to survive,” he asserted.
She said the hawkers and street vendors are aware of the risks and dangers of COVID, but the risk of seeing their families go hungry has forced them out on to the road.
“Last year also, when the unlocking started, the govt never thought about them. In fact we had to keep asking when can the hawkers start sitting. It is the responsibility of the govt to ensure they are safe,” she said.
Not only are the hawkers and street vendors affected, but even the farmers are also at their wits end as they are throwing away their produces after working hard for months because they don’t know how to sell their produces as the hawkers are not allowed to sit and sell them.
She urged the government to think ‘ground up’ and implement the suggestions given to it earlier to address the problems of the marginalized, if it cares for them.
Further, she stated that at times of crisis, for survival, people take whatever steps to survive, and at that time it is labelled as a law and order issue. “But, it’s not a law and order issue. Right now it’s an issue of pandemic and hunger,” she stressed.
