sagar
post news network
Bhubaneswar, Aug 5: Three balloon-sellers from Rajasthan were detained for almost 12 hours by Capital police August 3. They were let go at 9:30 pm (without their belongings) after a stern warning that they not be seen anywhere in the area from then on.
Their crime? They were selling balloons at AG Square and would frantically go from one car to the other hoping to sell their cartoon-shaped balloons.
Police said the vendors were detained as they were blocking vehicular movement at the important junction. Some sources said the police believed that these balloon-sellers might also be thieve in disguise on the lookout to steal valuables from vehicles halting at the traffic signal. When enquired, it was revealed that none of the balloon-sellers had any cases filed against them.
Rajendra (18), Pragash (25) and Khajod (35), all natives of Tonk in Rajasthan, had boarded the New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Duronto and reached the city August 3 with their merchandise. The three men were accompanied by their families and numbered 10 in total.
The families eke out a living by crisscrossing the country, selling balloons in capital cities of different states. Only now, they have sworn never to set foot in the state again.
“We were happy with whatever little business used to come our way. God knows why we came to Bhubaneswar,” Rajendra told Orissa Post.
The trio was whisked away by Capital police at around 10 am while they were selling their balloons and were put in detention till 9 pm. Other family members were not picked up as they were away selling balloons at other traffic junctions in the city. By evening, however, all of the families gathered at the Capital police station after getting news of the development.
When they were freed, one of the family members placed his turban at the feet of a sub-inspector of the police station pleading that they be allowed to take their belongings with them. The SI however said they would get only shredded balloons, and proceeded to shred each balloon one by one. The families then left the police station without a word.
According to the Street Vendor Act that came into force in March 2014, no vendor can be evicted unless an identification survey is done and identity cards are issued. The Act also stipulates that each street vendor be accommodated and given space to run their businesses elsewhere if they are evicted from a particular area.
BMC deputy commissioner Srimanta Mishra, responsible for implementation of the Act, said, “Our survey is not complete yet. If there is a violation by a vendor, our enforcement wing will swing into action. But traffic police might also have their own reasoning in such cases.”
Another BMC deputy commissioner Shubhranshu Mishra however criticized the police action, saying it was not in line with the Act.
In case an area is a no-vending zone, the vendor shall be relocated but only after being given a 30-day notice, according to the Act.
District court lawyer Chittaranjan Das said: “It’s not just an act of snatching away a person’s means of livelihood but is also in contravention of one’s fundamental right to movement. How can the police restrict someone from moving about in a public place? The warning that the vendors not be seen ever in the area is nothing short of intimidation.”
The balloon-sellers were so tormented by the police action that they left the capital city the same night.
