With the area around Bhadra turning into a fortress after AMC launched its restoration project, taxi drivers and street vendors in the area are a harried lot.
They held a protest at Bhadra Fort on Tuesday demanding alternate arrangement. They also met municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra with their demands.
AMC has put up barricades and diversions for traffic. As a result, many of the vendors and the taxi stand had to be moved.
Not only has the erection of barricades led to shifting of the taxi stand, it has also affected the daily earnings of taxi drivers and the vendors. Speaking to DNA, Mohammed Yunus Tonkwala, a taxi driver, said, "Presently, the fort restoration work has rendered 300 drivers without work. We want to know from the civic body why the barricades cannot be removed and why we cannot continue our work at the same place."
He further said that street vendors cannot be removed from the streets without providing alternate arrangements. Congress has also showed its support for this issue. Speaking more on the issue, leader of Opposition Badruddin Shaikh said, "According to guidelines of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), urban poor should not be affected due to the project work. But these guidelines are being violated by AMC."
Talking to DNA about the issue of taxi drivers, Mohapatra said, "We wanted to provide temporary relocation to the taxi drivers, but they requested to be allowed to continue their business at the same place.
We have sorted out the issue of the drivers as we will have to check if the barricades can be taken back from the roads so that they are able to operate." However, he said that he was yet to have a discussion with the vendors regarding their relocation.
Around 40 vendors operated on the road where work is going on presently, added Mohapatra.
