Street Vendors Face Renewed Threats as Centre Mulls Repeal of Protective Act; Mandi Union Vows Stronger Struggle
Mandi, July 25:
As street vendors across India face a looming threat to their livelihoods with the Centre’s move to repeal labour laws—including the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014—the CITU-affiliated Rehri-Pheri Workers’ Union in Mandi district has vowed to intensify its struggle.
At its 4th district conference held at Comrade Tara Chand Bhawan, the union declared that the battle for vendors' rights was far from over.
Inaugurating the conference, CITU district president Bhupender Singh reminded participants of the 2012 decision by the then Mandi Municipal Council to declare the city ‘rehri-free’.
> “It was only through united struggle that street vendors managed to reverse that anti-worker decision,” said Singh.
“Now, the Modi government wants to dilute the legal safeguards brought in 2014. We won’t let that happen quietly.”
The 2014 Street Vendors Act, enacted by the UPA government, gave urban street vendors the legal right to earn their livelihoods without harassment.
But with the Centre pushing for the consolidation and repeal of 44 labour laws into four labour codes, the Act stands on shaky ground.
Union State Secretary Surender Sheelu and CITU District Secretary Rajesh Sharma, addressing the gathering, lashed out at what they called the Centre’s “anti-worker agenda.”
“Street vending is not a crime. It's a constitutional right to livelihood. Any attempt to dilute that right will be met with mass resistance,” said Sheelu.
Delegates paid homage to veteran trade union leaders and victims of recent disasters.
The conference passed several resolutions, including a demand for seasonal vending zones—for corn, peanuts, and local produce—and the issuance of certificates to marginalized groups like the Panchvaktra community.
Concerns were also raised over irregularities in licensing. In Sundernagar, for example, licenses have been revoked but not renewed.
Meanwhile, political favoritism has allowed unauthorized vendors to operate without TVC (Town Vending Committee) clearance.
> “We demand that all urban local bodies immediately convene long-pending Town Vending Committee meetings within 15 days,” said one resolution.
The conference also called for yellow line demarcation and licensing for vendors in Nerchowk and Sundernagar, along with the redevelopment of the Gujarati Market area.
A new 25-member district committee was elected, with Surender Kumar (Mandi) as President, Karm Chand (Sundernagar) and Dhananjay (Nerchowk) as Vice Presidents, and Tirmal Rana as General Secretary. Krishna Kumari and Rehana Akhtar were named secretaries, with Praveen Kumar as treasurer.
Media responsibilities will be handled by Vipin Kumar (Sundernagar) and Deepak Kumar (Mandi).
Representatives from Jogindernagar, Rewalsar, and other sub-divisions also joined the new committee.
As the Centre’s intent to weaken labour protections gathers pace, the union's message from Mandi is loud and clear: “Our livelihoods are not negotiable.”
