Memorandum Submitted to the Lt. Governor on behalf of Delhi’s Street Vendors and Rickshaw Pullers and Owners
This article was first published in the print edition of Manushi Journal. (Issue-127, Sep-Oct 2001)
Following the historic intervention by the Prime Minister’s Office in drafting a new and radical policy for the
cycle rickshaw sector and street vendors of Delhi, we had planned to mark this year’s Gandhi Jayanti by
celebrating the inauguration of a new agenda of economic reforms for the poor. This was to be a mammoth
rally of Delhi’s vendors and ricksahw pullers who had struggled long years to win a legitimate space for themselves in the urban economy — all in vain. The stranglehold of the pernicious License-Quota-Raid Raj on their modest livelihoods had gotten more and more deadly through the decade of economic reforms. (See Issue Nos 124, 125 of MANUSHI for a detailed report). Therefore, the far reaching reforms incorporated in the policy draft prepared by the PMO in response to MANUSHI’s Lok Sunwayis of these two sectors came as a very happy and welcome surprise. That is why we wanted to celebrate it as the beginning of a new era of pro poor liberalisation. Instead, we were compelled to mark October 2, 2001 as a day of resistance and protest against the wilful sabotage of the new policy by the power wielders in Delhi. Surprisingly, several leaders of Vajpayi’s own party-from corporators to MLAs and MPs-are active in Operation Sabotage. The protest at the Lt. Governor’s office organised by Manushi Nagrik Adhikar Manch was electrified by the enthusiastic participation of several thousand street vendors, rickshaw pullers and owners. This despite the fact that the demonstration was organised with only, six day’s preparation time. This was an emergency response to the increased onslaughts on vendors and rickshaw owners by the police and municipal authorities. These worthies understandably feel threatened by such a far reaching move to liberate these two sectors from needless and harmful bureaucratic controls…