Vizag food court vendors protest rehab delay

Six months after being evicted under the GVMC’s ‘Operation LUNGS’, displaced vendors of the Night Food Court at Old Jail Road have launched an indefinite protest, demanding immediate rehabilitation and alleging lapses in the allotment of alternative shops.

Gathering near the Gandhi Statue at the GVMC office, the aggrieved vendors said the civic body had assured them of the systematic allotment of shops to eligible beneficiaries, but no progress has been made so far. They alleged irregularities in the eviction process and said the delay in rehabilitation has left them struggling for survival.

The vendors said the food court was their primary source of income, and its closure has pushed many families into financial hardship.

Ms. M. Lalitha, an MBA graduate who started a fast food centre in 2016 and later became an eligible beneficiary when the Night Food Court was set up in 2020, said her shop was also removed during the drive.

“We pledged our gold and took loans to meet household expenses, rent, and repayments. I have two children in nursery, and their fees exceed ₹40,000. We are finding it difficult to manage,” she said.

Another vendor, 53-year-old Ms. Ch. Lakshmi, who has run a ‘Noodles and Biryani’ stall since 2020, said her family has been left with no stable income.

We are requesting banks and private lenders for more time to repay loans. My son, who worked with me, is now jobless, while my husband is an autorickshaw driver. We are surviving only on his earnings, which are not enough,” she said.

The protesting vendors urged the GVMC to expedite the allotment of shops and provide immediate relief to those affected.