About 25 street vendors from different corners of the country were involved in street food business in the area after 6 pm till 9 pm. Altogether 150 persons were directly employed with each stall´s earning, ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 15,000 per day. [break]
“We were doing our business honestly and respecting all laws,” said Som Lama, a street vendor from Kavre. “But, police forcefully removed us, without any convincing reasons.”
He demanded that the government either should allow them to do their business or it should ban such businesses everywhere in the capital. He wondered why the police removed them from Basantapur area even as other night businesses are being allowed to operate without any hindrance.
Lama said that it has been a usual exercise of the local police department to unleash some trouble to street vendors whenever a new police inspector is appointed at Metropolitan Police Sector, Janasewa.
However, police have different story to tell. “We removed them because we have information that these vendors were involved in illegal activities such as drug dealing, prostitution, pick picketing and others,” said Police Inspector Avadesh Bista, chief of Metropolitan Police Sector, Janasewa.
“Moreover, local public and entrepreneurs from Basantapur areas were repeatedly complaining about troubles that the street vendors have created.”
Bista claimed that street vendors were also creating traffic problems in New Road areas. He also claimed that police have recorded fewer crimes and seen less traffic problems after the vendors were chased away.
"We removed them only after consulting with officials of Kathmandu Metropolitan City,” Bista said.
Dhanapati Sapkota, chief of Law Enforcement Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, said the municipality in co-ordination with police had removed the street vendors because they are creating hindrances in vehicular movement. Sapkota added that they were planning to remove footpath stalls from other areas in the near future.
Following police intervention, street vendors had visited different places, including Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Kathmandu District Police Office and political leaders, among others to get back to their work but to no avail.
“We are facing difficulties in meeting our daily needs because our family depends on this business. Now we have nothing to do,” said GB Gorkhali, a street vendor.
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