Rahul Gandhi vows to work for the cause of street vendors in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Reaching out to street vendors, Rahul Gandhi today made a strong pitch for a fair deal to them, including better facilities, and vowed to work for their cause.

Visiting the Raghubir Nagar area in West Delhi where hundreds of vendors sell lot of products, especially altered clothes, the Congress Vice President said, "The vendors called me complaining about the lack of proper facilities. The poor workers here have not been given proper space in the city."

Accompanied by Delhi PCC Chief Ajay Maken and AICC in- charge of Delhi P C Chacko, Gandhi went around the sheds where the vendors do their business but have been cramped into a smaller place as the civic authorities have taken over some of the sheds.

"I have heard their grievances and will take it up with the authorities," said Gandhi.

Maken said that Gandhi was instrumental in the passage of the Street Vendors ( Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2014 which aims to regulate street vending and protect the rights of urban street vendors.

The Act also protects the street vendors from harassment by police and civic authorities, besides providing protection of livelihood rights and social security of street vendors.

Leaders of the Gujarati Vaghri community, whose members are mainly the vendors, said that some 4,000 vendors do their business in the cramped space and their demand is for more space.