Ranchi: Vegetable vendors from Morabadi haat, which was stopped from operating on Saturday, took their protest to the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Wednesday, setting up their stalls right at the office’s entrance and blocking the gates.During the anti-encroachment drive by RMC on Saturday, dozens of vendors who set up stalls at Morabadi twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays for years were evicted. When the vendors returned on Wednesday morning, they were not permitted to set up their stalls. Police personnel and civic staff barricaded the area, while constant announcements were made over loudspeakers warning that any produce put up for sale would be confiscated.Barred from their usual spots, several farmers chose to set up temporary stalls on the roadside near their original vending zone, triggering traffic snarls in Morabadi. Another group crowded inside the Morabadi vendors’ market, causing congestion within the complex.Geeta Devi, a vendor from Boreya village, said, “We are farmers. This is our only source of income. If we are not given a place to sell our produce, how would we sustain our families?”As the standoff intensified, mayor Roshni Khalkho clarified that the corporation’s hands are tied regarding the allocation of fresh land. “The farmers are demanding another place to set up their shops. I keep telling them that they need to go to the district administration or the minister with their demands. If they get permission, we will immediately help them set up,” she said.RMC has issued a public notice regarding the settlement of street vendors at the Atal Smriti Vendors Market. A reallotment process via an e-lottery will be conducted on July 18 to distribute 518 vacant vending spaces.
