Royapuram merchants stage road roko, demand removal of street vendors from MC Road

CHENNAI: Over 500 individuals, including members of the Madras Washermenpet Cut Piece Cloth Merchants Association and local shop employees, staged a massive road roko at Cemented Road Junction in Royapuram on Wednesday morning. With Deepavali and festival shopping season approaching, protesters voiced strong concerns that unauthorised street vending would severely impact their businesses.

The demonstration was organised to demand the immediate removal of street vendor encroachments from the pedestrian plaza footpaths on Monegar Choultry Road (MC Road). The protest caused significant traffic disruptions in the area.

Police personnel and Royapuram MLA K Vijay Dhamu rushed to the scene to hold talks with the demonstrators. While protesters demanded the immediate removal of vendors, Dhamu assured the merchants that vendors would be relocated from MC Road following Deepavali.

Addressing the media after discussions, Dhamu explained, “Vendors are underprivileged individuals who set up stalls using high-interest loans. So, the decision to temporarily permit street vendors to operate until Deepavali was made on humanitarian grounds. Alternative spaces will be arranged for them after the festival.”

He recalled that 133 street vendors were given shops on MC Road in 2011. “However, 29 vendors left out in the process are now demanding space. Some individuals who were allotted shops are running secondary stalls on the road through relatives, driving the total number of street stalls to nearly 100. Authorities are investigating complex occupancy, unauthorised shop re-sales, and abandoned units to find a permanent resolution,” he elaborated.

Meanwhile, merchants cited a 2020 High Court verdict and official Corporation GCC guidelines designating MC Road as a non-vending zone, similar to Khader Nawaz Khan Road and Pondy Bazaar. Despite submitting several petitions, GCC officials acted lethargically regarding enforcement.

R Mohamed Farook, association secretary, stated this was their second protest in 10 days. Vendors were cleared on October 7 and 8 after a previous demonstration, but returned by October 13. On Wednesday, around 2,000 traders closed their shops until 12:30 pm.

Association president Ashok Kumar stated: “Merchants have faced financial distress since COVID-19 and 3.5 years of continuous pedestrian plaza work. We carry liabilities in lakhs and crores. Unauthorised roadside stalls block both sides of the plaza during peak festive shopping, preventing customers and vehicles from accessing permanent store-fronts.”