Tamil Nadu Street Vending Workers Federation seeks relief for affected vendors

Releasing a survey on Wednesday, which revealed that street vendors incurred a loss ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs.20,000 as goods got damaged in the flood that devastated the city, the Tamil Nadu Street Vending Workers Federation urged the State government to grant Rs 10,000 relief for the affected vendors. Three Hundred and Four street vendors took part in the survey from Koyambedu market and T.Nagar Usman road, which was done on December 13 and 14.

V.Maheswaran, state general secretary of TNSVWF said that 59 percent of the respondent street vendors had borrowed loan from private money lenders to do business and 38 percent of the affected vendors were housed in relief camps. “About 50 percent want special relief grant from government, they were not able to do business for the past 25 to 30 days because of rain and resultant floods,” he said. The TNSVWF and the Forum for Creche & Childcare Services in Tamil Nadu had jointly conducted the survey. The Federation also urged the State government to constitute Town Vending Committee immediately and issue certificate of vending as per the government order issued in November this year.