Tensions have flared in the commercial hubs of Alwar ahead of the Diwali festival as street vendors and municipal authorities clashed over the allocation of temporary shop spaces. Small-scale traders who have traditionally earned their livelihood by selling earthen pots, clay lamps, floral garlands, and religious offerings opened an agitation against the municipal corporation's eviction drive. On Friday, a large gathering of vendors, including numerous women, congregated directly outside the municipal corporation office, staging a demonstration and blocking traffic to register their dissent against the administrative orders. The protesting merchants declared that they would only operate from their traditional selling spots and refused to relocate elsewhere.
Objections To Shifting From Core Markets To Company Bagh Road
Among the demonstrating vendors, a woman named Poonam and several other women traders explained that they have been setting up their makeshift stalls at prime market locations, including Hope Circus, Ghanta Ghar, and adjacent central areas, for many years. Their family members have likewise engaged in trade across these specific points over generations, benefiting from the heavy and steady footfall of shoppers that guarantees their seasonal earnings. Vendors stated that the municipal corporation is actively pressing them to vacate these established locations and move to newly designated stalls on Company Bagh Road. The traders argue that this abrupt displacement right before Diwali threatens to collapse their sales, as there is no certainty that customary shoppers will travel to the new location, putting their families under severe economic distress.
Allegations Of Physical Assault And Damaged Merchandise
The demonstrating women raised grave accusations regarding the enforcement actions, alleging that a female home guard physically assaulted vendors and deliberately broke their merchandise and clay items. The women pointed out that they had already invested their limited capital to purchase festive stock in advance and were preparing to set up their counters. Facing sudden removal alongside alleged mistreatment has drastically compounded their hardships. Denouncing the civic administration's approach as arbitrary, the vendors reiterated that their regular patrons frequent the historic bazaars, making a shift to the Company Bagh Road counters unacceptable to them.
Road Blockade Affects Traffic Amid Demands For Reinstatement
The sit-in protest and subsequent road blockade outside the municipal corporation headquarters disrupted vehicular traffic in the surrounding vicinity for some time, leading to transit difficulties for commuters. Despite the administrative resistance, the assembled merchants remained steadfast in their position, urging officials to consider their fundamental livelihood concerns. They demanded that the municipal corporation immediately grant them permission to sell their clay lamps and festival merchandise from their customary spots at Hope Circus and Ghanta Ghar as in previous years.
