Mangaluru: Ending a five-month dispute over the Sunday Bazaar, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has approved a new vending location on State Bank–Rosario Church Road for 95 verified street vendors. The decision was taken by the Town Vending Committee, paving the way for the vendors to resume business at the designated site from Sunday.The relocation brings relief to vendors who had faced weekly eviction drives at the bazaar’s earlier location outside Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall, following public complaints over the market’s operations. The dispute had continued for five months before the civic body approved the alternative site.BK Imthiyaz, honorary president of the Dakshina Kannada District Street Vendors Association (CITU), said the vendors had struggled to earn their livelihood amid repeated action by the corporation.“For five months, there were public complaints, and the corporation raided the Town Hall location every week,” Imtiyaz said.Welcoming the committee’s decision, he said the new location will provide verified vendors with an authorised space to conduct their business without the uncertainty of recurring eviction drives.“We struggled a lot, but today the Town Vending Committee approved the shift to Rosario Church Road, securing space for 95 verified vendors,” he said.MCC commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey said the civic body had constituted the Town Vending Committee in accordance with the law to take decisions concerning street vending and resolve related issues.“We have formed a Town Vending Committee as per the act to make these decisions,” Pandey said.Confirming the timeline for the relocation, he said the vendors will begin operating at the new site from Sunday. The designated vending areas will include available spaces along Rosario Church Road, including former parking areas, and a stretch near the second cross by the maidan. The allocation is intended to provide space for 95 verified vendors while addressing concerns over public convenience and the orderly use of roads and public spaces.With the relocation approved, the Sunday Bazaar is set to resume at its new location, bringing the prolonged dispute over vending outside Town Hall to a close.
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