Vendors from the Subramaniyapuram market in Madurai staged a determined sit-in protest in front of the city corporation commissioner's office on Friday. Their core demand was the cancellation of recently distributed e-tenders and their re-allocation exclusively to the original shopkeepers who had operated from the market before its renovation.
Broken Promises and Alleged Betrayal
The protest stems from an agreement made two years ago, when vendors were asked to vacate their shops for promised renovation work. The understanding was that the renovated shops would be returned to them. However, the process took an unexpected turn when the vendors were later instructed to file e-tenders to regain possession of their own spaces.
"We complied in good faith, filed the e-tenders, and many of us even obtained No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the government for this purpose," explained Selvam, the CITU president of the street vendors' association. He revealed the crux of the grievance: "Now we discover that e-tenders and NOCs have been issued to unknown outsiders, instead of being reserved for the existing market vendors."
Frustration Mounts Among Shopkeepers
The vendors expressed deep frustration over investing time, money, and trust in a process that seems to have sidelined them. P Davamani, one of the affected vendors, highlighted their efforts, stating, "All of us have submitted numerous documents and paid various fees to secure our shops, but despite the initial promises, corporation officials have failed to honor them."
The protest continued well into the night, with vendors prepared for a long haul. S Santhiyagu, the association's general secretary, conveyed the commissioner's initial response, noting, "The corporation commissioner has informed us that e-tenders cannot be redistributed." He countered firmly, "Those e-tenders should never have been given to other people initially. We will not retreat until our demands are addressed and are ready to protest here all night if necessary."
Political Support and the Path Forward
The vendors found a supportive voice in Deputy Mayor T Nagarajan. He openly endorsed their cause, asserting, "The shops must be allotted to the original vendors and not to anyone else." He pledged to intervene on their behalf, adding that he would speak with the concerned officials to help resolve the issue.
The sit-in protest, marked by its peaceful yet resolute nature, underscores the ongoing tensions between traditional market vendors and modern administrative processes like e-tendering. The outcome hinges on whether the Madurai City Corporation can find a solution that rectifies the alleged breach of trust and addresses the legitimate claims of the Subramaniyapuram market vendors.
