Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of angry street vendors staged a protest on Thursday, surrounding the north zone office of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), in response to an ongoing eviction drive for the upcoming Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2025.
The vendors, including women, stormed the office near Nalco Square, blocking the busy Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road. The protest caused a significant traffic jam lasting over an hour.
City Mayor Sulochana Das arrived at the north zone office in an attempt to pacify the demonstrators. She said, “We are not evicting any vendors but clearing encroachments. Most of those evicted were occupying public places. We are working on allocating shops to them as well.”
On the same day, the BMC organized an event at its headquarters, distributing kiosks to street vendors. According to sources, more than 70 kiosks were allotted to affected vendors near CRP Square via a lottery system.
However, the street vendors have warned of further intensifying their protest and gherao the chief minister’s residence next. The vendors demanded rehabilitation instead of eviction or demolition of their makeshift shops. With the eviction drive, more than 8,000 street vendors in the city are facing a possible loss of livelihood.
“The rules prohibit eviction of vendors without prior notice, but BMC is not adhering to this. This is completely illegal,” said Pratap Sahu, president of the All Odisha Roadside Vendor’s Association.
One of the protesters, Namita Jena, a widow who has operated a tea shop near Infocity for over eight years, shared her frustration. “Every time there’s a big event, they try to evict us. The BMC claims they’re rehabilitating us, but they’re not. They should provide relocation in the same area, not in distant places where we cannot do business,” she said.