THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Corporation might have turned its face away from the evicted hawkers in front of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, but it seems to have a big heart when it comes to the temporary hawkers who sprout during festival seasons. For, the local body has decided to block traffic and devote two bylanes exclusively for roadside vendors during Onam. The Central theatre road (leading to the Power House road) and the Kripa theatre road (adjacent to Parthas) would be given to them exclusively during the Onam season. To be precise, from September 4 to 10. Deputy Mayor G Happykumar said that the decision was taken in the wake of the flow of buyers from the outskirts of the city to the East Fort area during the time. ‘’Many people make a saving through the sales. Both the buyers and sellers are from poor families. The sellers make a fortune during the festival season by putting up tents or sheds. We do not want to hit their earnings,’’ says Happykumar. The traders, who plan to put up sales during Onam, should approach the Corporation main office or the zonal office at Fort and ask for applications, which should be filled up and returned to the officials, who would grant a temporary licence to the traders. In the absence of a proper licence, the police would have the authority to remove them. A portion of the Putharikandam ground would also be given out for Onam sales. The Corporation had taken steps to remove hawkers from the main roads following complaints that unauthorised sales sheds were posing difficulties to traders and pedestrians. Following the outbreak of fire at such a temporary shed near Theerthapada Mandapam which gradually became permanent and which had led to controversies, the Corporation had decided to remove such unauthorised sheds and vendors from streets. Especially around the high-security zone declared around Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
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